Who Rules the World

Xianxia show that tried to be Wuxia and Historical Drama and was not anything

Story---terrible. The story plays out to taking forty episodes to stall around and up to one scene. The first episode was the context establishment and the last episode was the plot point---which is a situation that needs to be solved and not the ending but it's the last episode. Basically the writers told themselves, "we know we want to have a powerful prince and another powerful princess who disguises themselves to go out into the world. Then after years of bonding, their identities are eventually revealed and they lead their respective kingdoms to ally and fight another power." Sounds intriguing.

Now ideally, the reputation of the established characters would be introduced in the beginning, check. And they would show their journey and how they walked to this day, sorta-not-really check in that they've known each other for years as they walked Jianghu (which is just told to the audience and never really shown or seen through their character development as the throughout the show they're bonding so basically they never bonded before). The rising action and climax is they need to use their real identities to solve problems while maintaining their aliases to deal with each other. The fight between kingdoms would take place before the climax, after which the third power is revealed, and the falling action would be an acceptance of each other, and the end would be dealing with combining and bringing peace to their kingdoms and their two identities.

Then how they executed this is they introduced the characters in episode one and the fight doesn't take place till the last episode. The in-between was I-don't-know an investigation show? A historical political show? A wuxia show? All of those. Oh and a 'tianmi' romance. No. It was not.

This leads me to discuss production.
Production---TERRIBLE. They took a scriptwriter for a Xianxia show, and placed the characters from those shows into a Wuxia show, except the execution of the long fighting scenes and rival clans was non-existent. They tried to have a historical political setting, except none of the characters carried the attitudes of royals. What kind of prince (first prince) is not interested in the throne? What kind of prince (third prince) is so ineffective and shallow? He would have died long ago by the schemes of the court members and not even needing the main character to take him down. As for the main character, what kind of prince can extract themselves from the fight for the throne so cleanly? The only way you are not part of the game is if you die. What kind of king doesn't care about his sons? He needs a successor! What is the point of being king if your kingdom cannot last past you? But he is somehow against the main character because...why? The scriptwriter could not come up with a reason! And the main character had some existential crisis that his father the king hated him or something. Have some respect for the authority of a king and the law. It IS a crime to lie to the king, and you lied about being sick and you feel like he doesn't care about you when he wants to find out the truth?? As a person with a right to the throne, the scheming WILL risk your life AND the lives of your supporters. Why are you so people ARE against you?? In conclusion, the writer tried to be deep and combine aspects of wuxia and period dramas into what is really a xianxia drama and did not achieve the authenticity of either, making it a disgrace to both genres.

Acting---I had a good impression of Yang Yang after watching him in the Once Upon A Time movie with Liu Yifei (the movie version of Ten Miles Peach Blossom) which gave me the impression he was a top-rated actor because of his looks, his casting partner, as well as being chosen for the role however this show has completely reversed that perspective. His acting in the show is terrible because he doesn't hold the gravity of a prince, nor the gentleness of a love interest and he gives the impression he's constantly mocking, which lessens the dimension of his character---because that's just himself and not the character written in the script. Zhao Lusi created some character development in the first episode with her attitude, but that was quickly doused away after episodes of intensive dialogue lines where she quickly fell into a role of recitation.

Music---All the music in the show sounds copyrighted, namely the ost from Ten Miles Peach Blossom and Pirates of the Caribbean for the adventure and sea scenes.

The only thing watchable about this show is from the visual effects. This is due to the well-known actors of Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang being the face of the show, and the editing which makes appealing effects that don't appear too fake.

Out of the 34/40 episodes I watched, the best scene was in episode 34 (?) when the third prince failed at executing a coup and grab for power. Just before he was brought away, when he confronted his father about the way he treats his sons, those were the most logical lines ever said in the whole show. Except, funnily, it comes out as ironic---because it's so logical it seems out of character. It makes him seems omnipotent and not present in his character and the situation. (You'd have to be a god to say facts so true in this cringe of a situation the writer forced the characters into).

Truthfully, in the beginning I thought the third prince would become king because he was being manipulated by his mother and his advisors but he had good character. I stand by this statement by the fact he spoke such truth (as I mentioned above), but sadly he was written into insanity by the writers. RIP

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Must watch Chinese drama

Zhao Lusi and YangYang were amazing. Both the Male and Female leads did a fantastic job. Eaxh episode made me want to keep watching for more. They have an excellent chemistry and they look great together. Their acting was superb. Even though Zhao Lusi is young, she was able to deliver her great acting skills.

This drama ha a great storyline.

One of the things I love in this drama is the martial arts; it was well orchestrated, great effects and sounds.
All supoorting actorand actresses were amazing too. I re-watched this drama several times. Highly recommended 👌 👍

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One of the best drama of 2022

The drama about the battle of the 6 countries. The story is smooth and welly plot between the 6 countries. The pace of this drama and the overall story is just surprisingly smooth and there are a lot of court battles of how to calculate and strategize in this drama, which are perfectly presented!
The actors of this drama have been nicely played and expressed, especially the male and female lead of this drama. I love the chemistry of the male and female lead, it is such a perfect match and feel of super natural, the acting of both are just amazing and irresistible!
The music and songs selected were absolutely right. I gave it a 10/10. Well done!

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Definitely a worthy watch

My two favorite actor and actress together.

Definitely met my expectations.

Both FL and ML were awesome. The storyline kept me engaged and didn’t drag. I think the writers did a really good job with the character development.

As for the FL and ML, great combination. Great chemistry between them. She’s a strong and mature woman but also not over bearing. She portrayed very well by Zhao Lusi that she strong, compassionate and no nonsense lady. ML also did great and well portrayed by Yang Yang. He’s arrogant but is not afraid to be tamed by FL.

For me, it’s a semi-sad ending because they only had 10 year together.

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Sooo underrated!!!

I wish yangyang and lusi have more dramas together. Dang their chemistry!!!!!!! Believe me when i say this drama is sooo underrated. I wish more ppl can get to know and watch this drama so yanglu can get to play together more in the future. Lusi really did the character justice and such roles really suit her. And we cannot not talk about yang yang's handsomness!!! Dang this cast really is a feast to eyes watched all episodes without skipping..💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

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Realistic development of romance, great chemistry, impressive fight sequences

This was an impressive romantic wuxia. Yang Yang and Zhao Lu Si had chemistry onscreen. It's undeniable that they had fun shooting this series. Since I didn't let bad press influence my decision to watch, I thoroughly enjoyed it in the way it was intended. As much as I appreciated the storyline, there was a slight disconnect with how the 4 main characters failed to show that they knew each other since childhood. It was also noticeable how many changes the script underwent. I have watched it many times now that I see the errors in the directorship. It was well cast and the acting was superb overall. No one was overt or exaggerated in their actions. The action sequences were impressive. I loved it when FL properly used the ax kick to deter the bully. I enjoyed the comedic rapport both main leads had with each other. This is a story where both main leads fell in love with each other slowly and supported each other in times of pain and sorrow. I love the differences in the dynamics of family in the 5 royal families. For Xi Yun, PmXie Yue and Lord of Qingzhou, they were extremely close and tight knit. For Lan Xi, Ju, Chang, Madame Bai Li and Lord of Yongzhou, it was full of intrigue, in fighting, sabotage, distrust, plotting and jealousy. Lan Xi and his half brother Chang were evidently close. I loved how the birds of prey were used at crucial points in the series. Yang Yang's acting prowess was seen when his facial expressions were sublime and not overt because it fit the character. In the scenes where his emotions, sorrow and suffering needed to be expressive, it was. I hope he gets nominated and wins an award. Yang Yang deserves it. I felt his absence when Bai Feng Xi was going thru her emotional challenges. When Feng Lan Xi went thru his emotional and physical challenges, Bai Feng Xi was seen supporting him. I think there appeared to be a rewrite at this juncture. I believe the director had problems with a few scenes because it was evident who dropped the ball. Overall, it was exceptional because the actors made it believable. The fight sequences were impressive.

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Watch this for the chemistry between the main leads

I had never seen Yang Yang’s dramas before, and Zhao Lu Si, though I had seen her in two or three dramas before, I always felt her dramas were either a hit or a miss for me because I tended to have that ‘trying to be funny, but actually not funny at all’ feeling when I watched her acting.

However, this drama made me take a different look at her. She had great acting here, in fact I was most impressed with her among all the leads. I think she really did her best. She acted as Bai Feng Xi, a legendary martial artist wandering in the martial arts world in disguise, but was actually the only daughter of the King of the Qing state. She was good in martial arts, intelligent, resilient, spontaneous, fuss-free and would heartily enjoy a meal any time. Zhao Lu Si was a natural in such a role. I liked her character here. In fact, Bai Feng Xi had become one of the female characters in historical dramas I admired after watching this drama.

Her chemistry with Yang Yang was amazing, one of the best couples I enjoyed seeing in Chinese historical dramas and because of this chemistry, both carried the show to top notch. They were totally comfortable with each other and I love watching such dramas. As Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi, they were on par in terms of intelligence and martial arts skills and complemented each other perfectly. There was no damsel in distress in need of saving, rather, they saved each other from dangers all the time. This was almost rare in any historical dramas. I enjoyed their interactions so much that I put other dramas on hold and looked forward to every episode during its airing period.
If I were to name a reason to recommend this drama, it would be the sizzling chemistry between the main leads.

Yang Yang acted as Hei Feng Xi, another legendary martial artist, who set up House of Jade and Fountain of Abode, an information network with branches all over Dadong Empire behind his family’s back. This was supposed to be his disguise. He was in fact Feng Lan Xi, the second prince of the Yong state. I really enjoyed seeing Yang Yang as Hei Feng Xi more than Feng Lan Xi. He looked better when his face was thinner and longer with fringe and a ponytail. I have to give kudos to the stylists for doing an amazing job when styling him in both characters. They looked so different that I thought they were two people from the trailers at first.

As for the acting of the rest of the cast, I would say there were good and bad, but at least those who did not act particularly well had little scenes. Special mention to the two who acted exceptionally well were Feng Qi Wu played by Xuan Lu and Huang Chao played by Lai Yi.

This drama had a bit of everything. Romance, martial arts fighting, palace schemes, war battles. The martial arts fighting scenes in the first 15 or so episodes were impressive, the kind that you want to hold your breath watching. Quite a bit of ‘flying around’ scenes, but I personally enjoyed watching them because they were gracefully done.

After 15 episodes or so, we had the palace scheming and then the war battles in the last few episodes. There were some martial arts fighting in the last few episodes or so, but were not as impressive as the first 15 ones.

Romance between the main leads was slow burn, but it was not so slow that you would feel nothing was happening. I enjoyed the development from their good rapport with each other, to gradual liking, love, marriage and above all, unconditional sacrifices for the other half.

What was refreshing to me was that the romance during the development stage did not have the usual tropes that I have seen in so many Chinese historical dramas such as rolling down the hill together, one landing on top of the other, locking eyes for a moment, female lead falling in the arms of the male lead, etc. This drama did not have all of these. The only cliché scene was the mouth-to-mouth medicine-feeding. I thought this drama would not have any of such romance cliché scenes, but well, when the scene came on, it was a small blemish. Was that really the only way to feed medicine to an unconscious person?

And commenting about the ending, without giving any spoilers, I would say that it was not the most ideal, but an almost ideal ending to any romance in a historical drama to me.

Finally, about what I did not like about the drama.
The special visual effects created using computer software such as animals in the hunting game, the ship on water, etc. all looked fake, this was usual in most Chinese historical dramas, I have seen before even more fake-looking ‘ship on water’ scenes in other dramas and that particular scene in this drama was not a major one so not much of a big deal.

The palace schemes were rather predictable and repetitive and the last 10 episodes were rushed, everything seemed to be happening fast and randomly with scenes cut. And when you have scenes cut, illogicality often sets in.

The battle scenes in the last few episodes were not the best, an experienced general of an army troop could be so easily killed with a mere few strokes of the sword and so-called ‘divine army’, purposely trained and had specialized war equipment looked like few packs of tofu in the battlefield, so easily swashed off with one stroke of the sword at one go. These are just two examples.

You could definitely feel that they wanted to do away with unnecessary scenes and end within 40 episodes.

Furthermore, there were comments that the palace plots seemed to be plagiarized from the drama, Royal Nirvana which I have not watched so I have no comments on that, but the palace schemes were nowhere creative, I was only impressed by Feng Lan Xi’s brilliance in always managing to plan a step ahead of his haters and then there were comments that the last episode had scenes reminiscent of dramas, Ten Miles of Peach Blossom and Princess Wei Young. I have watched these two dramas before and yes, when I saw the scenes, I could not help but be reminded of what I saw before. Not that the scenes affected the story in any way, but points deducted for originality.
Was this the result of having two amateur directors who could not think of new ideas? (The original director left with the scriptwriter halfway through the filming, according to rumors.)

All in all, despite the flaws of this drama, it was, without a doubt, a very pleasant watch for me. I looked forward to seeing Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi every episode, simply because the dynamics between them made this drama worth-watching. I do not usually mention about re-watch value in drama reviews unless there is really value in doing so and for this drama, yes, I will re-watch the scenes of the main leads and only those scenes. (In fact, I was already doing so when the drama was airing.)

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Decent watch, but could've been better.

The MLs did a good job with this one. I enjoyed their banters and you could notice how the characters grew throughout the series.

For the plot itself, I thought it would expand further than the two states we saw most from. Seeing as it revolved around the world getting plunged into war, but it didn't quite feel like it. None the less, what they did show from it was rather well executed.

I found the start to be the best out of it all. Up until the 20th episode mark. From 20-30 it fell quite a lot quality wise. It became a bit too dull. It caught a 2nd wind for the last 10 episodes as it was getting closer to the finish line. The ending felt a bit rushed, but I've definitely seen worse.

If you need something not too heavy to watch which doesn't require your full attention, give this one a go.

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Basically McDonalds, but I'm kind of loving it?

OVERALL
This drama is fast food. It's cheap but it also tastes good, so it's an easy watch. Give it a try if 1) you're looking for a cute love story without any of the annoying clichés, 2) you like political intrigues, 3) you like free and capable female leads. If you 1) can't stand huge plot flaws or excessive CGI, 2) hate Chinese fantasy, 3) are in search of sizzling chemistry, then I recommend skipping.

THE STORY
I have to start by saying that I write fiction and I study fiction. That's my job. Some people can watch dramas without caring about the quality of the plot, I can't. Coming in to Who Rules The World with that background, this drama really isn't that great. People die when convenient, don't die when not convenient. People are sick one moment, and standing healthy the next. People want something the whole time, only to give up on it when it suits the plot. The drama is just full of inconsistencies and cheap writing, I couldn't take it seriously. The CGI (special effects) is also excessive and fake-looking, which might not be an issue for some but for me really pulls me out of the story, and the ending is a let down. It's too easy, too convenient, too incoherent.

That being said, I binged the first half of this drama and watched the second half religiously, so it's not THAT bad either. What saves it is a strong and likeable female lead (I just can't with the childish FLs C-dramas throw at us all the time), a nice male lead (I also can't with the misogynistic MLs so he's much appreciated), and the love story between the two that develops slowly and feels natural. I liked the representation of women in general in this drama, which is very progressive. The political intrigue is also quite nice, and I think part of the reason why I pulled through was to see what would happen. I almost wish this had been a historical rather than a wuxia drama, I think it would have helped avoid lots of problems with writing and production.

The bottom line is: watch it...if you can. It's nowhere near my best drama list, but it is definitely a top-tier filler.

THE ACTING
I like Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang. I don't think they're amazing actors, I just like them, so I had no problem with their acting. Not much chemistry between them, but they were still cute together.

THE MUSIC
What music? I guess it wasn't bad haha

REWATCH VALUE
Average. I might rewatch it at some point in the future...or I might prefer rewatching Story of Minglan, Rebel Princess or Nirvana in Fire for the nth time. There're just better dramas out there.

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Highly recommend drama if you want romance with something thriller and in this there s also not even a conspiracy between the main lead after they knew each other just loved it............../.......................................................😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Just go for it😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵

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