Luoyang (2021)

Excellent mid season banger; with fizzle out finale.

The IQIYI Platform made many changes with the listing of the show - costume, idol, love story, suspense. Because even the team is confused of show genre. The script mess for second-half reflects this confusion.

Episodes 1-20 are good with some logic flaws that can be overlooked, they are sub-plots too but still it does not mess with the flow of central plot - the entire build up assassin reveal pays off with ep-20 - one of the best mid season bang in recent times. From episode - 21, show starts to loose it's momentum by introducing too many characters (good & bad) n slows down it pace for sub-plots at the cost of central plot and fails to establish proper antagonist n their motives behind their plans in convincing way. Which leads to rushed, underwhelming big 1-dimensional villain reveal and unsatisfying end to conspiracy plot. On top of that, totally unwarranted way of killing one of the leads leaves bitter feeling after the finale.

The Good:
1. Good Production value.
2. Acting from cast - there are moments, where cast gave their best performances.
3. 3 Leads comradeship - through it is under-utilized aspect of the show.
4. Plot leading to mid season twist - Big shout out to both actors Huang Xuan n Zhang Li, they nailed it.

The Bad:
1. Plot development and script - there were times when characters are dumbed down or 180 degree turn to move the plot/ prop up the main leads. Entire romance plot development for both couples are messy n at times unwanted.
2. Flashbacks and repeated themes - all 3 leads have sibling/sibling figure as bad guys, loose close friend, crowd addressing by characters in final arc.
3. Too many redundant characters.
4. Some of the editing/ BGM for the scenes are out of place and spoils viewing experience.

Despite of my issues, it is one-time watch - decent historical mystery show from c-ent in 2021. With average plot - mix of court politics, investigation and undertone of romance.

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Disappointment

Man, I don't even wanna talk about it.
The show starts goodly and then proceeds to drag and descend into poopoo mediocrity.
Some notes:
- Huang Xuan good. Love him. Wang Yi Bo whatever, he's just there. Victoria Song is amazing - a good range of badass to vulnerable and emotional. I hate Song Yi playing meek and devoted waifu characters, she's too good for this nonsense. Zhang Li as the casino owner was a nice surprise.
- Unexpected GOAT award: Zhang Zhi Lin as An Bai Tan. 11/10, would love to have her angrily scowl at me, step on me...ehm.
- everybody probably mentions it, but the action scenes started great. Mainly because they entirely ripped off the choreography shot for shot from a CG animated show. Not cool, man.
- It's too long for its own good. The mystery is kinda crappy, but it would've worked much, much better in 25 episodes rather than 39.
- It's pretty, yeah. Doesn't save the show unfortunately.
- The story gets dumber as it goes on.
- The villains are bad, just everything from writing to direction to performances, they're cartoony evil.
- Overall it's a fail. I'd say watch it for Victoria Song, or Huang Xuan if you must. (if you're a Wang Yi Bo fangirl, you've already watched it, so..)

(An Bai Tan, mommy, choke me!)

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Quite a good period drama with a few significant flaws

There is a pretty interesting story about a conspiracy and the gradual unraveling of the conspiracy is nicely done. One thing that is nicely done is how our suspicion of one of the characters to be the main conspirator is aroused but we are kept guessing whether our suspicions are founded. The main characters, Gao Bingzhu and Wu Siyue, are the most nicely developed and most interesting characters while Baili Hong Yi (Wang Yibo playing yet another not-very-sociable character) is somewhat more bland but still likable. Various aspects of the production like the set design point to high production values.

Still, there are a few flaws that bring down the series as a whole.

First of all, many viewers are irritated with the character, Liu Ran. I don't think it makes a story or a series bad because a character is irritating because there are irritating people in stories, just as there are annoying people in real life. The problem, however, is that Liu Ran doesn't blend quite well into the story as a character. Sometimes she is an example of an intelligent and strong-willed woman, but sometimes she acts stupidly and her sole function seems to be: (1) to create trouble for Baili Hong Yi, and (2) to show that Baili Hong Yi is someone with affections despite his cold exterior. The character doesn't seem to exist as someone interesting in herself but as a function in the story.

And the chacterization of Liu Ran is inconsistent. She is supposedly intelligent and devoted to Baili Hong Yi, but sometimes she is a little petulant and doesn't see the sort of trouble she is creating--it's like she will be whatever suits the story at whatever time. And the romance between her and Baili Hong Yi isn't exactly necessary to her story. The only time the character worked very well--unintentionally, I think--is towards the end when Wu Siyue relies on her to do something important. Having seen how she creates trouble despite her best intentions, the suspense regarding whether she can do whatever Wu Siyue asks her to do is enough to give one a heart attack.

Another flaw of the series is the editing technique that doesn't always work well. There is frequent intercutting between scenes that are happening at about the same time in the story, often with flashbacks thrown in. At times, this is effective in building tension. However, there are times when the intercutting seems too frequent and purposeless, and maybe it is done just so that some scenes will be broken up into shorter parts or so that there can be some suspense (not a very good way of creating suspense, if you ask me).

There are other points in which the series relies on inelegant techniques. The death of a main character at the end of the series seems totally unnecessary and seems to have been worked into the story simply with the hope of creating some emotional intensity.

Finally, the portrayal of the political situation could have been more nuanced. There can be a better sense of why the conspirators are so bent on overthrowing the emperor. The fact that the emperor is a woman seems to be a complaint of at least some of the characters, but there needs to be more than that (especially since the emperor is based on an actual historical figure). And I think the conspirators are too negatively portrayed--in many ways, they are straightforward villains except for those whose loyalty to the movement is shaken. However, I would imagine that the historical political situation is far more complex. For a series of almost 40 episodes, there could have been effort to portray the complexity.

There is a lot to like about this series, but it would have been much closer to perfection if it had avoided some of the above flaws.

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Amazing cinematography, not so amazing screenplay

OVERALL
This drama may be imperfect, but it's still a very well-produced historical mystery series, which we just don't get enough off. Watch if 1) you're looking for several fighting scenes and well-made mystery, 2) you don't need much else. Think twice if 1) you're craving a good love story, 2) you need likable characters, 3) you can't stand flaws.

THE STORY
I started this drama, dropped it, picked it up again, dropped it, picked it up again and finally ended it, after weeks. It's definitely not binge material; in my opinion, the drama has ups but also lots of downs that make you want to give it up. That being said, it was worth watching.

The Good
- The cinematography is top of the game. Luoyang was produced like a movie, which is just beau-ti-ful!
- This is essentially an action/mystery drama, and it does the genre justice. It kind of has an episodic feel to it (as in, there are small mysteries lasting a few episodes), but every case is part of a bigger one, so the action/mystery plot feels coherent and every smaller mystery has a purpose. I don't have much to complain about in this department, except that some plot twists towards the end were kind of predictable and not all that believable.

The Bad
- None of the main characters are really likable. Baili Erlang feels a bit too aloof. When he's in trouble there's always someone to help, but when others are in trouble he's always out there doing his own thing. The way Gao Bingzhu treats Wu Sijue for most of the drama is infuriating, he also feels inconsiderate and obviously doesn't know what communication is. Sijue is a huge disappointment; she's one of those fake strong female leads that are in vogue in C-dramas (you know, girls who are technically capable but really are useless, because everything is always done by the boys and they always need saving). And the second female lead is absolutely unbearable; one of those silly, childish female characters C-dramas just don't want to let go.
- The love stories also leave much to be desired in this drama. Granted, Luoyang isn't really about romance so you can always just skip them, but it's crazy how a drama that does a very decent job with the mystery plots can do so poorly with the love lines. Feelings start out of nowhere, couples can't seem to make any progress unless someone is about to die...
- The ending is rushed and cliché.

THE ACTING
Great. It's what impressed me the most after the production. Maybe because I had low expectations, I was surprised by Victoria's acting (Siyue), which in a couple of scenes actually got me (even though in general, I wasn't emotionally invested in the drama). However, the boys also did quite a good job, and even 2nd female lead (the role sucked, but she did it the best she could).

THE MUSIC
Very good use of sound in this drama, but that's not surprising, because it has a film aesthetic. The songs were also quite good!

REWATCH VALUE
Honestly, not very high. When I rewatch a drama, it's because I'm dying to relive it. I don't think I'll ever be dying to re-experience Luoyang. It was fun though, while it lasted!

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Story and Pacing mangle an otherwise interesting project

I found this series to be so inconsistent I'm simply going to list observations.

1. The first episodes bait and switch the viewer. They imply this series will have lots of fight scenes. They basically fade away by Episode 10ish and are GONE at the finale, where you'd presume they'd come back for a big finale.

2. Our three lead actors (as shown on the poster) spend too much of the series with stoic faces, making it hard for us to care about them. This creates a problem where supporting characters accidentally SHINE --

3. -- like Song Yi. The scene she pouts in is gold. I really want to see more of her after this. The same goes for --

4. -- the underused Empress, Yong Mei, who is even more stoic than our heroes but she's such a gifted actress it doesn't come off as cold but intensely compelling. I'm now desperate to see her film SO LONG, MY SON but can't find it with English subtitles anywhere. (!!!)

5. I've heard Wang Yi Bo is legend. His character is the Chinese answer to Mr. Spock and (brace yourself) I saw no story reason for him to be in the series.

I believe our lead cast should have been Gao Bing Zhu, Wu Si Yue, and the Empress. Gao should have already been in charge of the CIA, Wu already in charge of the guard, and both at each other's throats because of this mysterious Clan wreaking havoc in the Kingdom. So two characters with opposing careers -- suspicious of the other -- falling for each other in the process. I'd have made Song Yi someone who had a crush on Gao, and I'd have her married to the Crown Prince who would have eventually been revealed as the leader of the clan.

Do you see how 'clean' that cast is? LUOYANG doesn't understand that, in this story: less is so much more.

6. Oh, I took a one night break from this series and saw Huang Xuan in the movie MY COUNTRY, MY PARENTS. It's an anthology pic and he only appeared briefly in the 2nd Story called THE POEM. It was funny to have my break 'ruined' by his presence but I knew I'd keep an eye on his future projects too.

7. The visuals are stunning, but the merciless wide angled cameras and relentless candle lit rooms are way over done. STAR WARS fans believe awesome production values are more important than solid story. As I've been saying since 1977 -- you're SO wrong about that. That said -- there are two GINORMOUS sets in this series you have to see to believe.

8. You have to give it up to the people doing the background music in this show. They were completely over the top and utterly out of control. If someone said, "Pass the soy sauce please" you'd hear all these background noises and music cues suggesting they had said, "Kill them... kill them all." It was an artificial way to raise tension where drama was clearly lacking at times, but (amazingly) the music wasn't so obnoxious to make one abandon the series.

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A masterpiece of his genre! Fantastic production

A masterpiece ! Never seen anything like that from the choice of music to the production, the close ups, how the cameras were dynamically moving around the scene, during running, chasing and fighting! Wow! The city is described in details, the story was developing around 3 very different main characters that for some reason found themselves involved in an elaborate plot of corruption and power! 3 people united by a strong sense of loyalty, to their country or to the people they love, their family...

I particularly appreciate the choice of actors, 3 of the 2 main leads are not teenagers or too young. And tjis has been reflected on the quality added to the acting. The ML ,Gao, is very athletic, real, and his looks were espressive, mature, realistic. Thanks for this choice! I cannot wait for the next cdama that is following this theme around the history of chinese cities which this title has started.

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Intense and perfect

Good story, best cast, acting is very nice ,story development is also good, intriguing story just like longest day in chang'an . After each episode it leaves suspense as to wt will happen next. Even though I like Wang yibo but Victoria song left a very good impression on me and most imp each episode has enough time for all the lead actors. I liked song yi too in this drama at first it seemed like she was just forcing herself on Erlang but guess it's not true overall I just liked drama too much Atleast in २०२१ it is the best drama I'm watching. I've watched many other dramas but the impression joy of life, longest day in chang'an left was just another level now there is one more in the list.

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Glad I stuck with it

I binged this drama in about a week while I was isolating with Covid (I watched at 1.25 speed, which I highly recommend because some parts are kind of slow). Overall, you could tell it's a high budget drama with high production value. The scenery and costumes were beautiful and the shots were really well executed. This is my first time seeing Huang Xuan and Victoria Song in a drama and I have to say - I'm a fan now of both actors. I think they both did a wonderful job. On the other hand, I'm a big fan of Wang Yibo but sadly, his character fell flat for me. I really liked that he dubbed his own voice but there isn't much emotion in his voice nor his facial expressions throughout the majority of the drama. Although I started this drama for him, I'm quite disappointed in his acting in this one.

The one thing that I have to mention though, is how much I despise Liu Ran's character (sorry, I just really need to rant). I have nothing against Song Yi and I really liked her when I first saw her in Joy of Life, but oh boy. Her character is like an empty shell that doubles up as Baili Hongyi's new pet puppy who calls out "Erlang" instead of barks. There is no substance nor growth to her character from beginning to end and I had to fast forward through most of her scenes. Such wasted talent for the actress and wasted potential for what the character could have been. If you are a fan of Joy of Life, it's a real treat that Liu Duan Duan is also in this drama! His character was one of my highlights throughout the entire series.

It's an enjoyable drama nonetheless, and I did like the pacing and originality of the story. I didn't feel invested in the drama until around episode 10 and thought about dropping in many times before that, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I feel like the story really starts to develop after around episode 12 and you get a lot more context about the storyline as clues start clicking in place. Knocked out 1 star because of the waste of camera time that Liu Ran was and knocked out another star for the ending.

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Was strong until ep 25

The story started strong: Casting/acting/set/costume/fight scenes-- All that you hoped for in a big budget drama. I was excited and can't wait to watch more.

After ep 20, it started to slow down. The drama seemed to have lost its luster. Introduction of new characters non related to the plot seem to occupy too much screen time. Meanwhile they could've used the screen time to develop a more convincing love story between the ML and FL. That connection was rushed and the dialogue between the two wasn't convincing that they would just risk their lives for each other.

The drama continued to be anti climatic. & some of the plot twists didn't even make any sense. Ending was highly disappointing. It's still a worthwhile drama until midway at least.

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Worth the time investment

This was my most anticipated drama of 2021 and it didn’t disappoint at all.

I appreciated the budget spent on the cast and production. All leads delivered, I wasn’t surprised with Wang Yibo’s calibre but I hadn’t watched Huang Xuan and Song Qian in any role before. I liked both especially Huang Xuan. He was Gao Bingzhu in essence and spirit, such a strong character. Song Qian was also good, she didn’t overact and I appreciated how she made Siyue into a multi-dimensional character, with soft edges. Wang Yibo continues to improve and soar higher and higher, taking on different roles each time. So proud of him giving his all to every project he takes on.

This drama has so many things going on; intrigue, suspense, some side romance (just enough to not overshadow), palace politics, history, and most of all, facets of humanity seen from different classes of the citizens.

The music is good, especially the end credits song (I need to find the title) which is haunting and, depending on when it was bgm, could be either heartbreaking or inspiring.

Congrats to the cast and crew of Luoyang, you’ve left a positive mark in the cdrama world, imho.

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