Sword and Fairy 4 (2024)

A hero’s journey through personal growth, love and friendship

Don’t let the first episodes fool you into believing that this is a childish drama. Yes, the drama starts off as goofy and light-hearted but from episode 13 the tone completely changes to serious and mature and it stays that way until the end. The drama is about the male lead who has lived in isolation all his life until he meets the female lead. Together, with their two newfound friends, they go on a journey to find the truth about the male lead’s parents and the mystical sword left to him by his father.

This drama is based on a video game of the same name thus the atmosphere and script feel quite different from the usual wuxia cdramas (in fact I believe it’s xuanhuan genre). All Sword and Fairy dramas are stand alone, they take place in the same world but have different stories.

PLOT:
This is a plot driven drama with some romance on the side. The first 6 episodes are extremely goofy and lighthearted. Until episode 12 the story is at the setting stage, we discover about the world, get introduced to the four main leads and see their adventure side quests with other side characters.

Episode 13 is when the main story begins. The tone is changed from lighthearted to more serious and mature. The main conflict is addressed and we begin to learn the truth of what has happened 19 years ago (which all characters are involved with). The good guys meet the bad guys and the angst begins. Here the drama does a fantastic job showing the characters growth and the many wise life lessons they learn.

MAIN LEADS + ACTING:
The male lead appears dumb at the start but is actually uneducated as he has spent all his life in isolation. Despite that he adapts very quickly and shows us the wisdom he has learned from his father. He is kind-hearted, brave and protective. He has tremendous character growth throughout the drama. The actor Chen Zhe Yuan showed brilliant performance as always. He is the reason I started to watch this and his on screen presence did not disappoint me. The actor has such expressive eyes that all his emotional scenes HIT ME HARD.

The female lead is confident, outspoken, perceptively and brave without being annoying. She appears tough on the outside but is actually soft-hearted. She is quite unique from the typical female leads that I’ve watched. She has fantastic character growth from being morally conflicted and somewhat selfish to becoming the most supportive friend who is the glue of the friendship group. The actress Ju Jing Yi shines brightly like a diamond in this role, her on screen presence is fantastic and her acting radiant.

The second male and female lead are both more reserved and their stories are directly connected to the main leads. The male lead is called an Ice Cube. Despite his cold nature, he has the warmest heart. The actor is fantastic in his performance with micro-expressions and has a strong on screen presence. The female lead is kind but firm.

POSITIVE:
- A fantastic execution of a hero’s journey - from zero to hero.
- Engaging main plot. From episode 13 the plot was executed fantastically and I didn’t find a single episode boring or having the urge to skip parts.
- Villains are usually boring and evil for the purpose of being evil but in this drama the characters were well developed and a delight to watch. Everyone in this drama has a strong purpose and legitimate reason for what they were doing.
- Chen Zhe Yuan and Ju Jing Yi shone bright on screen with their brilliant acting and fabulous character’s growth. Both actors really stood out to me and pulled me into the story. Their performance was wonderful to watch.
- Pacing of the drama was perfect. The mystery and plot was built very well. With each episode the stakes were higher and higher and I could feel the angst towards the approaching end. Until the finale episode, I couldn’t guess what would happen.
- Cute romantic moments.
- Nice visual fight scenes especially towards the end of the drama.
- Great chemistry between the main leads. I was rooting for them from the start. I loved their banter and bickering.
- Many morally grey characters (including the female lead at the start) which I loved to see.
- Fantastic character growth for all important characters.
- Wise life lessons shown.
- Epic adventure vibes.

NEGATIVE:
- The first 12 episodes gave a wrong impression of the drama and were not particularly strong which is a shame as it made a lot of people drop this. There were side stories of side characters that I found boring. The main leads would help side characters and receive a small amount of information which meant it wasn’t a filler but at the same time the actual stories didn’t add any value to the plot. However the guest appearance of these side characters were done by actors that I knew and their acting was really good.
- At the start of the drama there was focus on the romance which made me believe that it would be a huge part of the drama but it wasn’t. In most episodes the romance was completely gone and the plot took the driver’s seat. The hopeless romantic in me needed more romance.
- One sided love stories that I wish weren’t there at all. Not really love triangles but both the second male and female lead fell for the main leads. They didn’t interfere in their relationship and were very respectful so I’ll give them that but I felt it kind of ruined the friendship aspect of the drama. Whenever the main leads would have a romantic moment, the director would always zoom in on the second male and female lead’s unhappy faces which didn’t sit right with me. I wish the focus was more on developing their friendship with each other rather than them falling in love with each other.
- I didn’t like the second female lead most of the time. Her character’s reserved personality was quite boring for me and I found her acting wooden at times especially compared to the rest of the cast. However she did improve towards the end of the drama. Despite what I said, many people loved her character so this is just a personal preference.
- Second male lead stole all romantic moments with the female lead. I honestly didn’t understand why the writers did it this way. But the female lead had so many emotional bonding scenes with the second male lead that were very impactful compared to her scenes with the male lead. I wish the writers focused on writing platonic friendships between them.

OVERALL:
If you are looking for a well executed plot driven drama about a hero’s journey through many trials and emotional growths with morally grey villans + you love Chen Zhe Yuan, give this drama a chance.

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Surprisingly entertaining, give it a try.

I just kinda feel the need to say this; maybe try rating a movie or a drama after you actually watched a few episodes.

Honestly, the sole reason I am watching this drama because of CZY― and that being said, I had no idea what to expect. In the first few episodes, there are indeed a lot of things to grasp, like who is who, how their 'world' works, the name of the sects and all that, but I think it was always like that with fantasy drama.

As the story goes, I found myself genuinely coalesce with the drama. It was somehow heartwarming to see the ML easily bemused by every little things he saw outside of Qingluan Peak. While people might say his character was rather childish, I think it was exactly what to expect from someone who grew up in isolation and never met anyone else except his father and the pig demon.

The interactions between the ML and FL also so funny to watch. One is sly and cunning, meanwhile the other one is kind yet naive and speaks whatever on his mind out loud. And their friendship evolves, I can't wait to see their character development!

Also, for the CGI, I think it was kind of decent. The fighting scenes were fine too. There was nothing big that bothers me so far. I hope it gets better!

[UPDATES AFTER FINISHED WATCHING.]

For this drama, I am kind of relieved that the journey has managed to steer clear of disappointment. (Though there are, of course, room for some improvements.)

But well, I could say, it's akin to the pride of a parent witnessing the growth of my children. Every second is a joy as I savor the unfolding story, relishing the arcs and development of each character. Every obstacle and setback that they encountered served as a tool― shaping the four main leads and their friendships into something beautiful. And even though their friendship might seem almost too perfect, I can't help but adore watching their dynamics. Where I could possibly find friends as genuine and supportive as them in real life? :[

Throughout the entire watching experience, not once did I feel the need to skip any part or conversation, as there were no unnecessary fillers. Every dialogue held significance for the plot. However, I must confess, the temptation to fast-forward arose during scenes featuring the infuriating villains who never failed to make my blood boil. (Side eyeing Su Yao and particular sect leaders as I type.)

(Here goes some small complains.)
To be entirely honest, I believe adding two or more episodes would have been perfect for this drama. There were certain aspects that left me puzzled. I personally believe it was essential to provide more details about what transpired after the great war. The abrupt one hundred-year time skip felt somewhat cruel, leaving me yearning for more insight into Lingsha's final moments with Tianhe― despite the inner conflict about my own emotional strength to witness it, a part of me still desired that closure. Also, I'm curious about how Tianhe lost his sight. Was it related to the divine bow? The connection remains unclear to me.

Towards the last few episodes, the CGI noticeably declined from the impressive quality seen at the beginning of the story. The fighting scenes, unfortunately, felt somehow rushed. I think, a bit more attention to details and time devoted to these aspects would have enhanced the overall watching experience.

In conclusion, it was a truly memorable journey. Zheyuan once again proving his acting prowess, leaving me in awe. His emotional performances drew me in completely, evoking my own tears and smiles in sync with his. While it was my first time watching the other three main leads in a drama, they portrayed their characters exceptionally well. And not to forget, the soundtracks have found a permanent spot on my playlist. Whenever these songs play, I can't resist replaying scenes in my mind. (Forgive me for the emotional indulgence.)

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An entertaining experience from beginning to end

In the beginning episodes I almost dropped because I thought it was childish, but putting that aside this was definitely worth every second. The pacing was amazing, the characters were enjoyable, and they didn't waste time or bore me with too much filler. While the romance wasn't the main focus, I was entertained enough just by the amazing friendship of the main trio and the mysteries surrounding their families and friends. Not to mention everyone had chemistry with each other, no ships were totally meritless.

Story: A group of friends go on a long adventure to discover the truth about their families and about themselves, finding love along the way.

As I said before, romance was not the main focus but instead individualism, plot, and friendship. Most of the romance only started near the end, so don’t expect tons of kiss scenes or romantic moments. That's not saying there wasn't romance, the main couple is definitely one of my favorites now. My biggest problem with the plot was that Lingsha was always getting harmed in the beginning, I didn’t find that fair with her character development. I also wish they focused a little more on Zi Ying’s backstory. It felt rushed and incomplete compared to the other main characters, although he also had less screen time than them in general. Lastly, China is definitely stepping up its game when it comes to cinematography and aesthetics. I was very impressed by the CGI and quality overall.

Acting/cast: I wasn’t too impressed with Chen Zhe Yuan in Hidden Love but this drama shed a new light on his acting for me. While this was my first Jing Yi drama, I am excited for her and She Yuan’s future works, all the hate was definitely uncalled for. The acting might not have been top tier, yet it wasn't unbearable and you get used to the playfulness of it after a couple episodes. For the most part I felt emotionally connected to everyone and that definitely makes me a little biased when it comes to the acting and everything else.

Other Pros:
- The Mystery aspect of the drama was entertaining and it was fun to watch the trio figure things out even if it was just filler from the main plot. Filler is not bad when used in the right way and Sword and Fairy did not disappoint. I loved watching everything piece together like a puzzle, almost everything had a purpose.
- The Ending. I was worried since there was a lot to wrap up in the last couple episodes, but they managed to do it nicely. The last episode was like a whole movie.

Others Cons:
- The story slowed down when they got to the sect, especially after the story was moving so quickly. I think they could have cut some things out and extended others.
- There were a couple things that were hard to follow when it comes to the story, mostly involving the stuff that happened in the past. That might be my fault for not being able to wrap my head around it although they could have simplified a couple things.

That being said, it was/is worth the watch. I usually cannot stay focused when watching longer dramas (I.e. most Chinese dramas) so if you're like that too, this was fast-paced enough that you won't get bored.

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A Pleasant Surprise!

When I began watching this series, my expectations were quite low, especially since I believed it was a sequel. However, it turned out to exceed my expectations, earning a spot on my best-of-2024 list. It encompasses all the elements I love in a Wuxia and Fantasy series: underdog heroes facing crazy obstacles they must fight their way out of and fun adventures.
The main team of four characters was incredibly likable, each with mysterious and interesting backgrounds and unique talents. The romance was slow burn, but not in a frustrating way because the leading heroes had such a BFFmance going on. I found myself thoroughly enjoying every episode, and it's safe to say there was never a dull moment.

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Master of your own destiny

Yun Tianhe: (as told to him by his father Yun Tian Qing what was believed by his mother Su Yu) Life and death are one's choices to make. This choice cannot be buried by the earth or altered by heaven. This is the meaning of "My life depends on me, not heaven."

*****Introduction: (Qionghua Sect 19 years ago, narrated by YunTianqing)******
The demons were rampant and the people were suffering. Qionghua Sect, the head of the Kunxu eight sects, that has been short of manpower and material resources for three generations, finally made the Wangshu and Xihe swords, the Yin Yang double swords.

19 years ago, the 24th Grandmaster Immortal Tai Qing wanted to use both swords to trap the Huanming Demon Realm. The war was protracted. At the critical moment, Su Yu, the host of Wangshu sword, was bewitched and suddenly withdrew the sword, causing the Wangshu sword's pillar to collapse instantly. Xihe sword couldn't withstand it alonealone, and it's host Xuan Xiao suffered the backfire of the sword's red aura. Grandmaster Tai Qing died in the battle and Qionghua sect was greatly undermined.

I, Yun Tianqing, a disciple, defected with Su Yu. Since then, Wangshu sword's wereabouts has been unknown.
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******Review******
The drama Sword and Fairy 4 is adapted from a Role Playing Game 'The legend of sword and fairy-4". Hence the storyline followed the game with few variation. Each series of the game is based on a theme. The theme of this one is 'Pilgrimage' which I feel is quite appropriate because the four main playable characters in the game and their counterparts in the series are on a QUEST.

Yun Tianhe (Chen Zhe Yuan) is searching for his Parents' background who died while Tianhe was quite young, leaving him an orphan at a tender age. He resided and grew up in Qingluan Peak that was a safe haven for demons and humans to cohabit peacefully. Han Lingsha (Ju Jingyi) is trying to find a miracle for 'longevity' as she comes from a family of Tomb raiders that are cursed to die young. Liu Mengli (Mao Xiao Hui) a beautiful adopted daughter of Liu family is looking for her 'origin'. Murong Ziying (Mao Zi Jun) is seeking absolution from his guilt of feeling responsible for his younger sister's untimely death due to his perceived negligence.

These four characters seemingly having different temperament and purpose come together and form a strong bond of friendship. It seems the series is geared towards young adults hence the romance between the characters of Tianhe and Lingsha though quite prominent takes the back seat to the friendship and bond between the four of them. Like many viewers, I too felt that the series could have been better if Ziying and Mengli were not shown to have unrequited love for Lingsha and Tianhe respectively. If the writers did not want to pair Mengli and Ziying, in my opinion they could have just shown their characters' growth and progress without making them pine for people who were deeply in love with each other.

At the beginning of the story, Tianhe who is oblivious to the world outside his home is living a carefree life when Lingsha intrudes and changes the course of his life. 19 years ago, Tianhe's parents had left the Qionghua Sect with Wangshu sword which is one of the Yin -Yang sword forged by Qionghua. Tianhe along with Lingsha accidentally touches the Wangshu sword and activates it power. With that action all the people who are looking to either possess or destroy the sword chase Tianhe as it is presumed that he is the new host of Wangshu sword. Tianhe who wants to know more about his deceased parents agrees to accompany Lingsha to Qionghua Sect. Lingsha has been promised a magical immortality elixir to save her and her family members' life by her employer if she manages to deliver the Wangshu sword to the Qionghua Sect safely.

Along their journey, Tianhe and Lingsha meet Liu Mengli who is the adopted daughter of Liu family but was entrusted to them when she was an infant by Yun TianQing, Tianhe's father so she too joins the duo, wanting to get answers about her background from Qionghua Sect. Ziying who is already a respected member and a rising star of Qionghua Sect, meets these trio on their journey and while solving bizarre occurrences together, develops a soft spot for them and later takes on all three as his disciples.

Upon reaching Qionghua Sect Tianhe faces contempt and disgust as it was believed that his parents were traitors who were responsible for thousands of death of Qionghua Sect members. Tianhe refuses to believe that his parents who were benevolent and virtuous would betray other people. Mengli to her dismay learns the truth about her origin, she momentarily feels as if her world has tilted and fears losing her friends' support. Ziying who firmly believed in black and white leaves behind his prejudice to embrace the reality that the race of a person doesn't matter, what matters is their choices and disposition. Lingsha learns to live her life to the fullest, irrespective of its span.

Another aspect that the series emphasizes on is trying to find answers for oneself, not to unquestioningly believe other peoples' version of past events. There is a stark contrast between the older generation in this series who are shown to be obsessed, filled with resentment and ambition, willing to sacrifice lives to achieve their goals AND the younger generation that gives more importance to compassion, bonds of friendship and living in harmony with people who are different.

My favorite character from this series is hands down elder QingYang (Zhang Fan). He pretends to be a little senile, only interested in making medical soups. However he always knows how to diffuse a volatile situation, providing solution and guidance to the younger generation without imposing on their free will. In my opinion that is true leadership and power. It's ironic that people who really deserve to lead are oftentimes otherworldly and detached.

Throughout the series there was another elemental theme of sacrificing one's self and own happiness for greater good. Most of the love stories in this series had a bitter end. To change the destiny of others, someone has to sacrifice. (I personally think that the writers can do better than send the message of sacrifice everything for greater good)

Overall: A good watch, the series has created it's own universe with interesting situations, references and creations. (If only the writers had avoided the cliché pining and one-sided love, it would have been much better)

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If anyone is interested in reading more about this universe, information on the four characters and some of the fascinating objects/artifacts/ creations in the series, do check out the thread started by me in the discussion section. Other members of MDL have also generously contributed information and written interesting posts in the thread.

Use the link below to the discussion section of this drama to read "Introduction to the drama and some basic explanation" started by me.

https://mydramalist.com/discussions/chinese-paladin-4/122607-introduction-to-the-drama-and-some-basic-explanation-of-the-beginning-of-the-series

Also leaving a Clickable link to "Introduction to the drama and some basic explanation" started by me as a comment to this review.






 

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Friends Can Come as Wild Men, Short-Life Spanners, Cultivators, Demons & Even Puppets

First reviewed drama of 2024 and it's a CZY drama (reason I was watching in the first place) with both new and familiar faces. Though I'm not a fan of Xianxias, thankfully this was more fantasy than that. The theme of this drama was friendship and fighting for what you believe in and never giving up. The foursome of friends were great when they were together and I really liked how much they helped each other. Because friends really do come in all shapes and sizes like naive, innocent wild men, short-life spanners, cultivators, demons & even puppets.

Pros: I loved the friendship of our Fab 4 even when they all had to go through existential crises; they would lean on each other and help each other. Though the leads were the main in love with each or would eventually be (I'm so glad romance wasn't the main focus here), the other two loved the main two silently while never giving up on their friendship with everyone. I have to say that YTH and ZY were equally favorite characters of mine, though both ladies held their own too.

The MVP of the show was definitely Elder medicine guy of the sect. I can't even call it a sect but really a cult run on obsession of ascending and loving people you can never have. XY, our awesome puppet who was LS' friend and his death left a hole in the audiences' hearts. XX played by WD was a morally gray antagonist and he played him phenomenally well. One minute he wants to kill you, the next he wants to save you; his obsession was his downfall but at least in his end, he made some form of peace with YTH. The grand monster was just annoying as hell. She was the easiest major antagonist to spot because her obsession of that damn sword and XX were more important than anything. Sometimes she pretended like she cared about the sect but in reality, they were cannon fodder to her. There were several disciples/one elder who took Mengli as his daughter even when he realized she was a demon, that I was sad died or barely survived because they were great to our 3 main friends before ZY joined them and even afterwards.

CGI was decent, costumes were great as were some sets, OSTs were nice too. Though I liked their journey together, there were still unanswered questions and plot holes.

Cons: The script took way too long to resolve and absolve YTQ and TH of any wrongdoing when reality it was the sect/cult that attacked the demon realm unprovoked who were the real traitors. Also too much time was spent on the grand monster's obsession instead of the foursome's solving mysteries and getting XX out of the ice (whether was ultimately a good idea or not was TBD). Though LS was the host, she never held the sword or used it, so what was the point of calling her the host? The fact that the manuscript of sword breaking was so important but could be reversed and kill its host was explained in 5 minutes at the end.

Why did LS have to go to that mausoleum place when ZY and TH could have achieved the exact same result without her losing soul stones on her life? That was so unnecessary because the bow was absorbed by TH anyways. It was never explained what happened to Mengli's foster parents after she left them and the demon revelation. Also why did the divine make it seem like the war 19 years ago was TH's parents fault for leaving with the Jade thing when the sect was already using unscrupulous means to become immortal? That didn't make sense.

Why did the entire mountain float into the sky and then after the fact when it came "crashing" down, it was more like a hot air balloon going down gently then the supposed meteor destruction that was promised. So TH went blind after he destroyed the falling mountain or? But when did LS die? That was just glossed over. And then 100 years pass like nothing and the ending is 10 minutes long. So even though LS' tombstone said "My beloved wife", you'd assume she lived for a while with TH on that peak but it's all guesses and assumptions. Also remember, they officially got together in the 2nd to last episode only. I wish the ending was less rushed and more flushed out even though the leads from what we see anyways go off into the afterlife happily together; it is bittersweet because we really don't get to see how our Fab 4 live those 100 years and I wish we did.

Would I recommend it? I would as the show never once dragged and kept me watching all the way through. It's very entertaining, so give it a try.

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A good balance of light-heartedness and angst with heartwarming friendships as the highlight.

Sword and Fairy 4 was not a drama I expected to like as much as I did. In the beginning, it was light-hearted and silly, and I didn't expect it to become as deep and impactful as it was later on. For me, the highlight of this drama is the friendship between the four main characters. What made me almost drop it---and I'm glad I didn't---was Tianhe's naivety which was a bit much at first for me, but he does become more experienced while never losing his innocence which is the core trait of his character. As for Lingsha, I found her stealing the sword was unjust after Tianhe beared how much it meant to him, but even she has her reasons and I do love the morally gray situation she had on her hands. All the characters grew on me and so did the story.

Plot:

It had a good balance of light-heartedness and angst. It's never too bleak nor is it ever so light-hearted that it's without conflict. The main focus of the plot is about Tianhe learning about his parents and what happened 19 years ago, both to understand them and clear their names. We have Lingsha, his first friend, who schemingly convinces him to go down the mountain with her and pursue the past and then his two friends Mengli and Ziying who he meets along the way to accompany him for their own reasons. In the first half, they go on a journey, they come across the story of others that reflect and foreshadow their own as well as work as trials to test their friendship. It's rewarding to see their friendship grow and strengthen, and it hits hard when their friendship is in question.

While every side story contributed in some way to the bigger story, they came across very detached from them. It didn't have a long-lasting impact on them as characters. It felt like they became the side characters to the side characters. They swoop in the middle of a conflict, fix a problem, earned an item and some info, and move on, exactly like a side quest. Not surprising since this is adapted from a video game. It's very plot-driven. The character development comes from the main story while the detached side quest are complementary to this. I would consider the story a plot-driven vehicle, a seat behind would be friendship, family, character development, and chilling in the back is romance.

Characters:

The main four characters were endearing in their own ways and they all struggle with their own problems and develop through the course of the story. We watch Tianhe learn friendship and love, and see the world both good and bad and still retain his pure heart. Chen Zhe Yuan was able to capture Tianhe's emotions and give us a heartfelt performance. Lingsha is a character you get off to a bad start with until you begin to sympathize with her. She's in an impossible situation between family and friendship. It's heartbreaking to see her hide her pain behind a smile, especially during the end of the series. Lingsha is certainly my favorite character by Ju Jingyi. She did a good job of bringing Lingsha to life with every expression from start to finish. Mengli and Ziying made the quartet whole. They're both supportive and put their friendship first before themselves. Su Yao and Xuan Xiao make formidable antagonist that can make anyone's blood boil.

Relationships:

I love Tianhe, Lingsha, Mengli, and Ziying. Watching their interactions gives me warm fuzzy feelings, and make this drama comfort drama for me.

The romance between Tianhe and Lingsha was slow and sweet. I did question if there was romance at first since it was such a small part. It was adorable seeing Tianhe pick up Lingsha's mannerisms and acting like two little kids at times, but they were lacking romantic moments throughout. I can't tell if Tianhe or Ziying had more deep moments with Lingsha. They did have enough that the pairing seemed genuine, but it would have been nice to have more moments.

Mengli supports Lingsha and Tianhe so well in romance that I was taken aback when she admitted to having feelings for Tianhe, especially because she smiles like a winner when the main leads are having a romantic moment. In the beginning, I didn't realize Ziying had romantic feelings either, but it becomes obvious despite it never being said from the way his ice cube exterior thaws around Lingsha. I think it shows how much they care for their friendship to the point of letting go and supporting their crushes, but it's also tragic to see Ziying sad. Mengli and Ziying are one of a kind.

Overview:

The story is fun and gets better and heavier the deeper you go. It's plot-driven, has character development, an adorable romance but lacking in romantic moments, and a heartwarming friendship between the four main characters.

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An Average drama with a focus on Friendship, Adventure and Growth (not romance).

Heard some good things about this Sword and Fairy 4, compared to the Xu Kai version. This drama has a strong focus on different types of relationships through the adventures of the leads. I think this is a pretty decent drama with average acting, average production value and average quality. Nothing stands out that I love big time, nor anything that annoys the heck out of me.


Friendships/Relationships
The friendship and strong bond between the 4 main characters, Yun Tian He (ML), Han Ling Sha (FL), Murong Zi Ying (2ML) and Liu Meng Li (2FL) is the focus and the strength of the drama. It’s lovely to watch a period drama where these friends genuinely care and like each other from beginning to the end. It’s a relief to see no backstabbing 2FL or psychotic 2ML. The characters are very likable and they support and trust each other. Aside from the main four, I really enjoy the friendship between Yuan Tian He and Xuan Xiao. It’s a complicated friendship/brotherhood, but is also very interesting. I always look forward to their scenes together. I also want more scenes between adult ML and his father, played by the handsome and sexy Baron Chen.

Adventure/Plot
A very simple plot for a xianxia drama and not too complicated to follow. The drama is well-paced, but also feels like there are certain storylines could have been explored more. You always have the supposedly good sect versus the supposedly bad sect. If you watch enough xianxias, you know the good people are always the bad ones.


Romance
If you are not a big fan of romance but a big fan of adventure and friendship, then this is the perfect drama for you. The romance storylines are kept to a minimum. In fact, I am quite dissatisfied. I enjoy the banter and fun relationship between ML and FL in the early episodes. I like how it’s not love-at-first sight, but a slow growing affection for each other and a realization of feelings. However, there aren’t that many romantic, emotional, and heartfelt moments between the leads. They do get hurt and try to save each other MANY times throughout the drama. But I miss some of the more quiet and deep moments. Instead, it seems like FL and 2ML actually have more one-to-one heartfelt conversations. The chemistry is OK and the leads look good together. I also wanted more flashbacks of the romance between ML’s parents and Xuan Xiao.

Acting
Overall the acting of the four main leads are OK. I thought I might get more annoyed by Ju Jing Yi but she ended up being fine. I haven’t seen Mao Zi Jun in a while and I miss him. However, his acting isn’t as good as I remember him in “Killer and Healer” or “Marvelous Women”. Chen Zhe Yuan with the main role meets my expectations. He reminded me a little of his character in “Handsome Siblings” but in this drama, he definitely did better with the more emotional scenes. Mao Xiao Hui did fine as well as the 2FL. My favorite character is Wang Duo’s double role as Xuan Xiao/Xuan Ying. I love gray characters and playing two characters allows him to flex his acting chops. I remember really liking him in “Bloody Romance” where he played another gray character. I love his styling in the later episodes. But honestly, the scene stealer is the veteran actress Wang Yuan Ke as the leader of the Sect.

Production Value
If I have to say one thing I really dislike about this drama, is the dubbing. All of the actors' voices are dubbed and they pick the most annoying voices for the two female leads. The guy who dubbed Xuan Xiao always seems to be whispering instead of speaking at a normal volume. The dubbing is very disappointing to me. The CGI of the fight scenes and the monsters are OK. They are not horrible and not bad. The fight choreography is not praise-worthy. In fact, I find the fight scenes quite flimsy as if the actors are not using much strength when fighting and just mindlessly swing their swords. Costumes, hair, makeup, sets and props are of inconsistent quality. Some beautiful and nice-looking ones and then a few episodes later, they look like cheap quality.


If you read my review all the way to this part, you will not be surprised to see that I am summing this up as… a very average and OK drama. I would not recommend this if you are looking for romance (cute, fluffy, or angst). But if you want a simple adventure with a group of great friends and likable characters, then this can be an easy watch. Even the ‘evil’ characters are not that bad. However, if you have limited time, then this is not a xianxia I would waste my time on.


Completed: 3/8/2024 - Review #414

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Five stars for the actor Chen Zheyuan is, and five more stars for the Chemistry of the cast

I dived into Sword and fairy 4 having never really liked any of the fantasy/xinxia/wuxia dramas that I have tried, but decided to get into it because of Chen Zheyuan. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found myself looking forward each day to the episodes released. The story has just enough to hook the viewer in, and the vfx is decent enough to not distract from the overall plot. I never expected the cast to have this much chemistry. And Chen Zheyuan did not let me down with his acting, I laughed with him and his silliness and innocence in the earlier episodes, and then I cried with him towards the end. He has so quickly become my favourite actor with his ability to breathe life into each of his characters and emote so well..

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I was right there with them

I am a fan of Chinese pals in since the first one with
Hu Ge and Liu Yifei. I really like this one as well. I find the plot to be interesting and engaging. I feel like I was a part of the four main characters journey, and it was fun and sad to go along the ride with them. There’s no good without evil. The message of the story is to bring justice and peace to the world, and Tianhe did just that even though the consequences didn’t excuse him. I like the relationship and friendships between Tianhe, Lingsha, Mengli, and Ziying. They all have a strong bonds and will always be friends.

This drama is focused on our main ML, Tianhe’s and his journey to finds out about what happened in the past to his parents. It was interesting to find out that not always the demons starts the trouble, but it was the humans that got greedy and starts the war with the demons clan first. This story also teaches about being selfless and supports each other.

The ending was a bit sad because Lingsha passed away, and she didn’t find the cure to her illness. Her family members died early because her ancestors got punished for invading a sacred area. Her purpose was to find a cure for her and her family. Sadly, that didn’t happen.

Mengli - I like how she went from innocence to maturity. She went from a young lady to a strong sect leader woman. Each character all becomes stronger jj the end, and mature a lot.

It was a good Chinese Paladin 4!!! The cinematography, osts, and CGI were all good. Great castings!!!

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great drama

this drama was probably one of the best ones ive watched in a while. im not really the type to watch solely for romance so this drama was good in that way. im not saying there wasnt romance tho but it develops pretty smoothly and only takes flight towards the end. the story is pretty decent, although inconsistent at times. it focuses a lot on individual character development which is nice. all the main characters are really likeable.
some people found the ml yun tianhe really childish but honestly himbos are funny and he literally barely had any human interaction so what do you expect.

no complaints on casting or acting
osts are good and pretty emotional; they suit the drama well.

the start of the drama was pretty lighthearted, first few episodes are light and silly which is enjoyable. ml and fml dynamic was really funny and nice to watch. the story progressed really well for the most part, sometimes the plot got a little slow but its alright. its really interesting tho and at one point theres like an epiphany moment where everything starts to make sense and the dots start connecting its pretty fun.
the world building (as its a fantasy) is pretty easy to understand too you dont need to rack your brains to understand it.
what i liked the most about this drama was the sweet platonic relationship between the four mains like that is true friendship. this held out til the last episode omg the ending was so.. beautiful. its pretty bittersweet but thats how it shouldve ended and im glad it ended that way.

now there are very few things i dislike abt it.
the cgi was honestly pretty good for a cdrama but it got a little choppy towards the end. this next parts a spoiler but i dont understand how qionghua falling would kill all mortal beings like its so small compared to the rest of the land. my next point isnt much of a big deal but i dont like how they made liu mengli (second female lead) end up liking tianhe too. she clearly stated she had never loved a man before and i think they should of stuck with that cus the trope of two girls liking one guy is.. well not my cup of tea. it wasnt really a love triangle at all tho but they shouldnt have left her hanging like that like id be more satisfied if they made her gay or smth (but yk china would never do that).

anyways to conclude it is very worth watching it’s interesting funny heartwarming tear wrenching just everything youd need in a good costume drama !!

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Friendship

In my opinion, it was a very emotional and entertaining series. It was a series that included friendship, brotherhood, confidant, camaraderie, helpfulness, sacrifice, respect, affection, love, emotion, family, many things all together. I like it a lot. For me, it is a series that has been covered up no matter how many flaws it has. I liked the actors too. Management too. The feeling that was intended to be given to me was reflected. There were even parts that brought tears to my eyes. He felt like that too. Our leads, Chen Ze Yuan and Ju Jing Yi, make a good duo. Jing Yi was very cheerful and active in the drama. It was as if his cheerful attitude and active play were reflected in the others, and they played so well. Ze Yuan has recently performed both good dramas and very good plays, and has become a popular actor. He showed his quality here too. He's a very sweet kid. He portrayed an innocent, pure, clean, emotional, affectionate, obedient image that attaches great importance to friendship and longs for his family. But he is also a very powerful personality. But it's never obvious. He gave this in spades. Mao Zi Jun and Mau Xao Hui also put their talents into the drama, they performed well, I liked it very much. The male actors were very handsome, our girls were very beautiful. Our veteran players also added color with their experience, everyone played really well, including those who played less. I also congratulate our director. I recommend everyone who likes fantasy series to watch it.

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