The Longest Promise (2023)

I was really hooked around episode 8

I'm a Wuxia fan but I always enjoy a great Xianxia, and this happens to be one of them. Xiao Zhan is an incredible talent. Xiao Zhan is a consummate actor, able to play any role and become that character. I had just finished his beautiful & latest drama The Youth Memories 2023 not too long ago, where he played the confident, assertive, and gregarious Xiao Chun Sheng. That drama was a slice of life/coming of age. In The Long Promise, he played Shi Ying, a loner, calm, quiet, and introspective with a tragic past. Very few artists can reach that depth of acting in two totally different types of characters as successfully as Xiao Zhan has.

The overall story is solid and the chemistry between all characters is excellent, it's not just 2D between ML and FL so that's another really strong point about this drama that many other dramas lack... The different relationships between all the characters and their character growth. Loved Gen Qing, Chong Ming, & Yuan.

I wanted to add that at first, I was skeptical about the FL because she's not a big-name star but she stepped up to the plate and played Zhu Yan wonderfully. A young, strong girl, who stands up to bullies even if she has to face adversity, and isn't afraid to show her true emotions. I always found little games like playing hard to get so annoying in other dramas (pet peeve) but that isn't the case in this drama.

Finally, the CGI, cinematography, and fighting scenes are so well done. The usage of natural geological landscapes is stunning. Scenes have a Zen-like quality. My favorite parts are usually the marital arts scenes since as I said, I favor the Wuxia genre. They were seamless and fluid, with great choreography. The color, the lighting, and the movement were done very well. It's just a stunning visual treat from beginning to end.

Highly recommended., especially if you love Xianxia.

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The Longest Disappointment

So, because My Drama List is filled with people who say if you hate the drama you're ruining it for them, and upvote automatically any ratings that praise the drama highly, despite people telling you over and over it's bad and people hating the writing, I'm going to write this review for more balance. I love xianxia dramas. I've watched a ton of them, but this takes the cake on how terrible they can be. And yes, I watched all 40 episodes. Me and a bunch of other people who tried to defend it to the end, ended up flipping on the drama once they figured out what I said was consistent throughout the drama. But those people are less likely to write reviews.

The only saving grace of this drama is Xiao Zhan and maybe the production values, but that's about it. And pretty production values when you don't have the story isn't enough for me. I've never particularly cared about pretty faces. I care about in order: Story first, acting next, production values (which include costuming, CGI, props, etc) last. If I wanted to gawk at pretty faces, I'd look at runway photos. The problem with this drama is squarely on the story.

The writing sucks so, so much on one key issue: The female lead's agency is all over the place because the motivations aren't clear in the character.

Kinda passes the Bechdel test. Sexy Lamp it's questionable about her agency. And she kinda fails Mako Mori at turns--they give her a goal other than a man, but do they ever implement that goal within the story? No. Not once.

The thing is that there is this bit where she's supposed to protect this dress, and after the tenth episode watchers drop like flies because of this dress. She could have climbed out of the ravine the entire time--which is shown in a later episode. She fights with her best friend's sister over said dress saying her best friend's sister can't wear it, but then by episode ten you understand why people dropped the drama hard. After all that lecturing about how her best friend's sister shouldn't wear the dress, suddenly she decides to dance in it herself. Which is a mind-numbing plot point. It makes no sense whatsoever for her age.

There is a difference between innocent and air headed, and she's air headed. Innocent is going into danger to retrieve her friend's dress. Air headed is wearing the dress after yelling about how terrible it is to wear it. Air headed, to me, is being oblivious of how others will react to your actions even when you know it's wrong and taking the worst action anyway.

And then if you think this is the largest crime of the female lead, you're wrong. It gets worse as the drama goes on and the agency of the characters is all over the place.

Let me be clear here, I don't mind delayed agency, I don't really mind passive agency. I don't mind a long try fail cycle. What I really, really do mind, is when the principles of the character are laid out, the lesson is stacked in the "I really learned this lesson" pile and you've spent say 2-3 episodes establishing what this lesson is, the character demonstrates they have learned it, and then the rest of the story doesn't apply it when it's clearly critical to apply it right then. Why did we waste our time with those episodes then? The writer actually put into the drama several spelled out points where she couldn't figure out how to get to the next section, so literally had another character tell the female lead what she needed to do in order for the plot to change direction, rather than it coming from the character. And for those who've watched the drama--this is the female lead in a nutshell.

OK, you want to skip the female lead. Zhi Yuan isn't better. He had a straight line until the end of the drama. His agency looked consistent, and then he made a mind-numbing decision in the last part of the drama along with one of those accidental amnesia events the writer comes up with where the female lead suddenly forgets all her past knowledge, and then both characters make this really odd decision together. First he fails and it makes no sense to the point that people on the main comments objected strongly. And then she failed by not applying her past knowledge when she learned the spell she could have applied right then just the previous 3 episodes making you go, that makes no sense. If any agency or moving forward for the FL isn't about the male lead, then the female lead forgets everything with no reason for it.

And you think, at this point, "But the male lead can't be affected by this, right?" Hahahaha. So wrong. By the middle of the story, the writer, who is lost on how to make character motivations work, has other characters telling the male lead character what his motivations are. She's jerking around the male lead by having other characters tell the male lead where to go, but without building a reason why he needs to go there for himself. I'm going there because Sifu said I need to go there. I need to do this because someone else said I needed to. Do I have a pesonal motivation for it? Meh, nyahh, I'm changing my mind because someone else is telling me to.

This leads to a lot of empty moves and the character agency being scattered to the wind, as the characters forget everything they've learned from the few episodes before them. Because their motivations are all external and nothing internal. So there wer people who wanted to defend the book and the drama to the end--until they got there and then realized really sharply what I said about the dress chapter being signs that the drama is going sideways was true. One watcher who was of this sort got frustrated both with the drama and the book saying both were a waste of time.

The female lead character--all of the characters need to learn things and apply them at key times. They shouldn't be told what they want from other characters. It's poor writing. And since the writing was terrible, I can't recommend the drama. My relative's B movie had better throughline of character motivations than this. And it's not a slam against Chinese dramas, since I've watched plenty of older ones and also have read classics and folktales--I do recognize how this employed older drama conventions. It's telling you that the main female character lacks motivation and agency which then infects the rest of the show and this is why I don't recommend it.

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Started slow and ended with a bang this show is amazing !

This is the first C Drama that started off slow and builded so well as the show progressed. It usually happens the opposite way start off strong and dulls out towards the end. This show has a lot of great messages. I really love the character build up. This show was so unpredictable. There is so many twist and turns. You would never be able to guess what going to happen next in the show. I love the extended episodes. The main characters did so great they brought out a lot of emotions in the show . You can tell a lot of effort was put into the show.

I will highly recommend this Drama once you get pass episode 15 the show just starts moving and get's more and more interesting. Kudos to the whole crew. I know that I will be watching this show again . I am, highly impressed.

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A very different take on the genre

This is the first time I’ve ever written a review for a drama (more of a characters analysis and acting appreciation). I don’t even do this for dramas I love, however this is an exception I had to make because certain things had to be said.

I’m going to be honest, I have a hard time being engaged in the fantasy world Cang Yue has created. I was bored out of my mind watching Mirror Twin Cities but kept on because of Zheng Yecheng. Although admittedly, her concepts are definitely refreshing and different from the usual Xianxia/Xuanhuan genre. And watching MTC turned out to be a good idea because it paved the way for me to better understand the world of Yunhuang in TLP.
The Longest Promise is adapted from the novel Zhu Yan by Cang Yue. It is the prequel to MTC and spans a 70 years difference, however some pivotal characters from MTC makes an appearance in TLP (i.e. Su Mo). I have not read the novel but skimmed about the details and understood that the drama stayed pretty faithful to its original source with a few exceptions that I’ll get to later. As everyone is mostly familiar the story I’ll just get right on to the good part:

Xiao Zhan + Ren Min — this is my 3rd XZ drama, first being The Untamed then Oath of Love. I won’t say I was impressed by him in these two dramas, especially The Untamed which funny enough was what brought him international stardom. I felt that his performance was great, but nowhere near excellent, of course this is just my humble opinion. He was also great in Oath of Love, but did not leave much of an impression. Speaking of impression, I actually first noticed him years back (before The Untamed ever came around) from the trailer of the drama The Wolf. I was quite smitten with him just from the snippets in the clip even though I knew he wasn’t the Male Lead. Nevertheless, he definitely caught my eye and I always thought he’ll probably caught someone’s eyes in the future too, and he did because The Untamed happened. Obviously when the filming happened, a lot of people were unimpressed with the introduction of Ren Min as the Female Lead due to the Xiao Zhan’s rising popularity at the time. And indeed, after a 2-years long wait, TLP finally aired. I, like a lot of folks, were skeptical about Ren Min and not only because of her aesthetics but also her acting ability. Master-disciple relationships is a trope that has been done to the death dating back from Jin Yong’s Return of the Condor Heroes. And not just Ren Min, I had worried how Xiao Zhan was going to carry out his role (given that there were some similarities to Gu Wei from OOL) and how they’re going to pull off that tension and chemistry due to the characters’ nature of relationship. But turned out I had worried for not because both leads were amazing. Their loveline is completely different from the usual tropes in these kind of relationships; XZ’s Shi Ying does embody the usual traits with this type of character: handsome, cold and aloof. However this only scratches the surface. Shi Ying is a complex character; he is handsome but humble and unassuming, he is aloof but not cruel, cold but not unkind, and he is this way because of his past tragedies. He is singleminded and devoted to his craft and whatever (or whoever) it is that he chose, and he can be hard and ruthless when he has to be. And just like XZ, RM’s Zhu Yan also embody the usual traits of a spunky heroine, cute and bubbly but thankfully not nauseatingly so, heroic but with a touch a willfulness and stubbornness. She can sometimes grate on one’s nerves with her righteousness but she is not unreasonable and is very understanding. Zhu Yan’s fiery nature and Shi Ying’s cold disposition do make them clash at times, however, underneath it all is always a need to protect one another. Zhu Yan is completely oblivious to her master’s feelings and thus this makes for some humorous moments when they try to get together in the future. As for Shi Ying, due to his decisive nature and devotion to his priesthood, he initially drove her away. However, because of an event later on, he realizes he wants to be with her, but because of many things that happened concurrently, he was never able to fully confess his feelings before tragedy strike.
I can still remember the look of disappointment and hate in Zhu Yan’s face when Shi Ying killed A’Yuan, and the pain in Shi Ying’s eyes when Zhu Yan screamed her hate for him. It broke my heart to see him so hurt, and when she told him that she never wanted to see him again, I think it was the straw that made him choose to end his life. Shi Ying is a type of person that understands responsibilities very well; he does what needs to be done even if it’s the hardest or at times impossible task. He will feel guilt but above all he’s practical. And so I know that even had he killed A’Yuan, he would not choose to end himself because he feels guilt towards Zhu Yan. He did it because he would rather die than live with her hatred. That’s how much he loves her. And this where XZ’s characterization of Shi Ying shines; even teetering on the brink of death, he still has his own selfishness. He stabs himself to allay Zhu Yan’s rage yet he still harbors hope that she’ll miss him and mourn him when he’s gone, thus his “Will you be sad if I died? More sad than when that person died?”. What an acting master.
The chemistry between XZ and RM is very subtle and nuanced at the beginning. Both characters are crushing and unable to express themselves about it. Later, as each comes to terms with their feelings, that subtlety amps up to real romantic tension. It is funny yet also sweet and almost swoon-worthy at how Shi Ying goes about chasing after Zhu Yan, and later as they’re beset by tragedies and misunderstandings, this tension becomes more palpable with pain and longing mixed in and it’s almost beautiful to watch if it’s not so painful. It’s interesting to note TLP shares quite a bit similarities with MTC and not just because they’re in the same universe but also the way the relationship between the leads are handled. Both are plot-heavy dramas with romance indisputably taking a back seat. But that’s where the similarities ended. I could care less about Bai Ying and Su Mo, in fact I shipped her with the Crown Prince Zhen Lan. There were no chemistry whatsoever and I was wholly glad that they barely had any romantic scenes together. Whereas with TLP, I lament that Shi Ying and Zhu Yan did not get to spend much time together especially once everything started happening.
So besides the main leads, most notable mention goes to Alen Feng’s Zhi Yuan. His story arc is just as tragic if no less than the leads. He was such a sweet and gentle soul who fell for a woman that died 200 years ago. He stayed on to fulfill her wish despite his identity as a merfolk. He cared for her descendant Zhu Yan and yet somewhere along the way for him, the lines became blurred. He did his duty to his people and died as a result. In hindsight, I realized Zhu Yan tragically loses both of her beloved one right after the other, twice. The ending was an explosive feast to the eyes in terms of special effects, music, action and most of all the top-notch acting from the 3 leads. I can’t help but go back to XZ at this point, as he unarguably pulled out all the acting chops he’s accumulated in his entire career and spilled it all into this one moment; teetering between demonic possession and love for Zhu Yan, begging her to kill him and ending in a climactic, beautiful and bittersweet farewell for them both. XZ and RM have outdone themselves in this drama. I am completely and emotionally drained from the last episode and though I’m heart-sore, this is a drama that I will come back to because it’s just so beautifully made, from the acting, music, characters, cinematography, and lastly the expensive looking CGI. TLP has definitely set the bar high for CGI in future dramas. And TLP has irrevocably turned me into a XZ fan.

*** Now this where I have to decry the finale a bit. According to the novel, Shi Yu dies, Xue Ying is widowed and pregnant. Shi Ying is heir to the throne however he chooses to pass it on to his future nephew and in turns spend the rest of the remaining years with Zhu Yan elsewhere. As Zhu Yan had sacrificed half her life to resurrect Shi Ying this means their fates are tied, should one die so will the other. I was extremely gutted at the way the drama ended but I will choose to believe Shi Ying truly came back to her. The writers can’t choose to have Zhu Yan sacrificed half her life for Shi Ying just to have him die again for nothing, and as their fates are tied, this is one detail viewers will not overlook. So for me, this is a wide OE even if it’s not outright HE.

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An Average Drama that is NOT a Must-Watch. Or watch for Xiao Zhan and Alen Fang

Subjective Gut Rating - 7.75

A drama starring the mega heartthrob and superstar, Xiao Zhan, is not garnering a lot of attention (at least not on MDL feeds). This is quite surprising as “The Longest Promise” marks the return of Xiao Zhan in a period drama after his success in “The Untamed”. Is the female lead actress, Ren Min, to be blamed? Or her character? Or just the somewhat messy writing in the second half of the drama? Perhaps all of the above.

Zhu Yan (female lead)
I have seen my fair share of xianxias, and I don’t think Zu Yan is such an annoying character. Is she the best FL written? Of course not. However, I’ve seen much worse innocent, naive, pitchy voice female leads before. Zhu Yan though was innocent, she’s not naive and is quite smart in her own right. She might not always make the most thought-out decisions for half of the drama or follow repeated instructions, but she also is independent, courageous and reasonable. The hate on Ren Min is really uncalled for, as I actually think she did a pretty good job here.

Master/Disciple Relationship
This relationship is actually a lot more ‘tolerable’ as the leads met when they were children, then reunited by chance before they became master/disciple This makes the romance also more palatable as they already have very positive feelings and attraction towards each other before they enter into this ‘forbidden love’.

Main Romance
Viewers should be aware that the “slow burn romance” tag is no joke. This is one of the slowest romances in xianxia dramas. Do not expect cute and fluffy scenes between the leads. Their romance is slow, gradual and very quiet. Unfortunately, I don’t think the leads have a lot of chemistry. It’s very average. Even though Xiao Zhao looks great as the handsome Priest, he also looks a lot older than his 18-year old character. Ren Mi looks a lot younger and when they are together, they do not look like lovers. They look more like friends or siblings. The romance is not angsty enough, and not fluffy enough.

Supporting Romance
They could have been so much better. The shy prince and princess are really a cute couple. However, their scenes pop up here and there, and have no substance. Qing Gang and Bai Xue Lu fare a little better and have a more interesting relationship. Unfortunately, the initial setup of the romance is not done right, thus, making it difficult for me to believe Qing Gang’s strong and dedicated affection. The acting is great, but the writing of the plot is not. My dear merman’s story is probably the best out of all 3 supporting romances. I wish to see more scenes of him and his beloved.

Acting
Overall, I think the acting is great all around. Xiao Zhan is the main attraction and he does not disappoint. I think Ren Mi did fine as well and maybe a little better than expected. Alen Fang (merman), Wan Chu Ran (Princess Bai), Wang Zi Qi (General), Marcus Li (Chong Ming bird) and the rest of the younger and veteran cast all met my expectations. I don’t think there’s a weak link. Luckily, there aren't any annoying side characters as well.

Pacing/Writing/Editing
I was having an enjoyable time in the first half of the drama. The pace of the drama is average and decent. The stories of the disciples up the mountain are interesting. We also get to know each of the main characters pretty well. Fight scenes and action picked up in the second half, as well as politics. Unfortunately, despite the pace being faster due to the fight scenes, the writing also gets messier. The backstory of the Demon and Ice tribe is not well done. There’s more telling us what happened, instead of showing us what happened. Editing got choppy and scenes pop up here and there without continuity.

Production Value
I was quite impressed with the CGI Sand Monster in the first episode. I thought the drama opened with a BANG! However, then I realized CGI is inconsistent. There are fight scenes with great visual effects, and then there are scenes so obvious that you know the green screen is right there. The fight scenes and CGI are average and I do no like the slow mo action scenes. Xiao Zhan is the only one who uses his own voice for dubbing. I applaud his effort and maybe being in a play has helped Xiao Zhan build up confidence and experience. I think he did an OK job but it was definitely encouraging. Unfortunately, everyone else is dubbed by voice actors and there is no live recording at all. The sets are not bad and I do like the costumes and accessories. The music and songs are fine, but not memorable.

XianXia Tropes
It’s interesting how “The Longest Promise” does not have some common tropes, e.g. evil second female lead who won’t take no for an answer, super cold male lead (ML here is cool, but approachable and not overly rude and cold), or many love triangles/squares/pentagons. But then, in the second half of the drama, we have noble idiocy, common and predictable miscommunication, and a very xianxia ending.


Overall, “The Longest Promise” is a very average drama. It is not a must-watch but if you need to curb your thirst for Xiao Zhan, then it’s not bad. There are many better xianxias out there.


Other Random Observations:
1. There are some scenes that are very Harry-Potter and Lord-of-the-Ring like.
2. Chong Ming Bird is a good sidekick and provided a little comic relief (not much).
3. The kiss scenes are few and disappointing. Side-hugs appear uncomfortable and scripted/pose-like.


Completed: 8/1/2023 - Review #336

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Tragic, beautiful story about predestined hearts.

This should've been called The Longest Sacrifice LOL. I went into this expecting a lot of things and came out with the drama exceeding my expectations. The CGI was superb, probably the best I've ever seen in a xianxia, the acting was beautiful, and the story was heart wrenching, heartfelt, and gorgeous. The visuals of the actors were so beautiful, the settings of the drama OMG, I wish I could go to those locations especially Jiuyi Mountain and Starry Lake. This was my third Xiao Zhan drama and I would probably put this one as my top from what I've seen so far from him. He was a beautiful sight to see in costume, his characterization of Shi Ying was superb and I can't see anyone else playing SY, he did his very best and it's very apparent. Ren Min was amazing in this also. The way she could adapt to be as eccentric as Zhu Yan, to be as matured as Yao Yi was amazing. This is my second project of her's I've watched and I hope she becomes booked and busy after this because she is extremely talented. The OST is so good, making me cry everytime the main song or the other sad one played.

(Mild Spoilers)

The reason why I didn't give a 10/10 scoring is because of the last 5 episodes. I felt like it was rushed. They made the backstory long, which is great because I liked the pacing of the first 18 or so episodes. But, I felt like TLP should've had more episodes, because we missed out on seeing them as a couple, before s*** hits the fan, cuz it always does with them SMH. The side couples has more screentime as an official couple than the main. I know there were a lot of sweet moments of ZY and SY's buildup but, I wished they gave us even more than half an episode of them being married before the whole God of Destruction battle, that would've been nice. I hate to complain about an ending because it's the ending the drama decided on but, imo I wish it was executed better. Regardless, I will rewatch this because it is still a great xianxia and deserves so much love and praise.

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When The Snowy Rosa blooms, a beautiful love story is born.

The Longest Promise is a great drama full of love, devotion and bitterness of fate.
I suggest this drama for those who are truly fans of xianxia and are used to the bitterness of angst. Xiao Zhan as the main lead is something to look forward to if you are a fan of xianxia. A beautiful love story of a master and a disciple.

STORY:

Kongsang's young Crown Prince Shiying meets the young Princess of The Crimson Clan, Zhu Yan. Zhu Yan is a strong-willed girl who wishes to learn magic techniques and goes to ask the Crown Prince for permission to learn. Unfortunately, after meeting the prince, She falls down from the roof of the palace, right in front of the Emperor's beloved consort. The Consort wants to punish her and her clan for it, but Crown Prince Shiying stands up for her. Later on, Shiying gets framed for killing the Consort, even though she killed herself. The Empress decides to fake Shiying's death and asks for help from The High Priest of Jiu Yi Mountain. Emperor declares that Shiying is a criminal that shall not be mourned.
Princess Zhu Yan decides to go against the law and in secrecy pays her respects to Shiying which triggers a fate between them. Zhu Yan is now Shiying's cursed lady, who is predestined to kill him. Later on, Shiying and Zhu Yan meet in Jiu Yi mountain and the kind-hearted Shiying doesn't kill her, even though he knows that she is predestined to kill him. They soon become Master and Disciple. Meanwhile, Merfolk has been waiting for their Sea Emperor to return, as Kongsang people and Merfolk go to war, Zhu Yan and Shi Ying have to not only fight against their destiny when giving into affection, but also the whole kongsang's and merfolk's destiny too.




SPOILER PART OF THE STORY SHORTLY

First, I'm going to give warnings to those who want to watch this.
ENDING? - It's an "open" ending but also a happy ending. I'm going to talk about the ending later on this review.
LOVE RIVALS? - There aren't real love rivals that are actually romantically interested in Shiying or Zhu Yan. Princess Bai Xuelu tries to come between the main couple a couple of times, only for the title of the empress. Zhu Yan's clan's keeper, Zhi Yuan, was in love with Zhu Yan's ancestor and for a little while mistakens her to be Yao Yi's reincarnation.
ANGST? - Yes, very much. Shiying's and Zhu Yan's love is forbidden, and they dare not to express their feelings openly to each other easily, which creates misunderstandings between them.
DEATH? - Yes, as a matter of fact, Shiying dies but gets resurrected 2 times.



SPOILER PART OF THE STORY, MY OPINION:
The Longest Promise is great. It reminded me a little of the drama "Immortal Samsara". The CGI is good, the scenery is beautiful, and the story and the characters go well together.
Zhu Yan's personality can be a little overused in xianxia, the disciple who is clingy to their cold faced, yet kindhearted Master. I was happy that in The Longest Promise, Zhu Yan as a girl didn't always need Shiying to save her, instead she too saved him multiple times. Their love is equal, and I applaud this drama for it. Bai Xuelu, the illegitimate princess of the White King, had one of the best character developments for me. It was understandable where her ambition was coming from, as the only thing she wished for was justice for her mother. She wanted to become the empress and got used a lot because of that, but you could see her progressively feeling bad for what she has done and in the end she redeemed herself beautifully, I was expecting to hate her in the end, so I was very pleased. High Priest of Jiu Yi Mountain tried to redeem himself in the end, but he can't wash away the sins of trying to pressure Shiying to leave priesthood to become the next emperor, only because he wanted to avenge his loved one, Shiying's mother.

The angst between Shiying and Zhuyan was just as painful for me as it was when I was watching "Immortal Samsara".
Shiying and Zhuyan meet in Jiu Yi Mountain as Zhu yan wishes to learn the spell to bring back a person from the dead. Se wishes to bring back the Crown Prince. Even when knowing that she is the cursed lady, Shiying holds her dear as he is grateful to her for being the only one who mourned his fake death and remembering the crown prince. Zhu Yan and Shiying were never meant to be disciple and master, but due to his own growing affection and to protect her, accepts her as his disciple. They eventually become a very close Master-Disciple pair. Shiying slowly but surely falls for Zhuyan, but to protect her, after 3 years, she is sent back to home from the mountain. She is sad and misses Shiying. Zhu Yan's parents want her to get married, and eventually she is forced to marry into Huotu tribe, but she plans to escape. Shiying has been investigating a matter that concerns Huotu tribe and comes to witness her wedding and her escape. Huotu Tribe had been involved with the Ice Clan, a banished clan, and were planning on making Zhu yan into a puppet.

Merfolk and Kongsang people have been at odds for a long time, and the Sea Emperor's return is a bad omen. The Sea Emperor turns out to be a little boy, Sumo. Sumo met Zhuyan at the Huotu tribe, as Sumo's father is the Huotu tribe's deceased chief. She saves Sumo and his mother. Eventually, Zhu Yan's keeper, Zhi Yuan, finds the sea emperor and tells a lie to Shiying and Zhuyan that he is the sea emperor. This creates a rift between Shiying and Zhuyan, as Zhuyan eventually stops Shiying from killing Zhi Yuan by claiming to love him. Zhi Yuan stops the war between merfolk and Kongsang people and willingly fights again with Shiying, losing is life. Zhu yan is devastated and points a sword at Shiying and tells him that she hates him. Shiying takes hold of her blade and stabs himself with it, because he feels guilty of killing Zhuyan's loved one and to protect her from a curse that High Priest had planted on her. As Shiying dies, she tries to tell him that the one she truly loves is him, but it's too late. High Priest helps Zhuyan to bring back Shiying. She performs a spell to exchange half of her life for him. She succeeds and as Shiying fully recovers and realizes that Zhuyan loves him, he leaves the priesthood and goes through the tribulations of hell. As they finally think they could be together for good, Crimson Clan is accused of treason as they kept Zhi Yuan in their residence for 200 years, as Zhu yan and Shiying try to find evidence of Crimson Clan being innocent, they find out Zhi Yuan is still alive. He gets possessed by the god of destruction, who is the culprit behind everything. He kidnaps Zhuyan and after she gets rescued, Shiying and Zhuyan get married. Eventually Shiying and Zhuyan fight against the god of destruction and Zhi Yuan dies and god of destruction possesses Zhuyan. Shiying decides to let god of destruction to possess him instead and asks Zhu Yan to kill him. She kills him and mourns him for a year until when the snowy rosa blooms, and he is resurrected.

Now, that was a lot. And this was all simplified as possible. For me, the angst was a bit too much, but it was saved by the sweet moments and due to the amazing acting of Xiao Zhan. The fact that Shiying dies 2 times and gets resurrected was for sure too much for my heart. The ending is similar to "The Starry Love" and "Immortal Samsara". At least, we get to actually see him come back to life. I was hoping for a really happy ending, but this wasn't the worst. The drama was overall a good one, and I highly suggest this for xianxia lovers.

ACTING:

Xiao Zhan as Shiying,
Amazing. Maybe I'm a little biased, because I happen to be a fan of him, but I honestly think his acting is great. I love the way he acts, especially the "being in love" acting. He manages to make me believe that he is truly in love and is committed. Also, he for sure is one of the best cdrama actors when it comes to showing the feelings of pain, sadness and misery. He makes me cry when he looks so realistically sad. My favorite scenes were in the end when "he is possessed." It was great acting from him. Just the perfect casting for this role.

Ren Min as Zhu Yan,
Beautiful and courageous. I don't get why some people commented on her looks. I think she looked very beautiful. Her acting was great, especially when she was acting sad. I could really empathize with her. A great pick for this role.

Alen Fang as Zhi Yuan,
Just right. He was just the perfect choice for this role. When "being possessed", his acting really shined.


Overall a 8,5.

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Started from average went into top notch and fell down beyond average

I first disliked the acting of the FL because of her childish behavior. But kept on watching having trust in the drama. In the second half the drama gradually became interesting. FL became mature and the acting was really good. (I still can't believe people saying she looks average? like bruh, she is really cute than most of the Chinese actresses out there. My only concern was her childishness at first, but everything went back to normal eventually). Until ep 39 it was good. But what the hell was ep 40? I'm not talking about the open ending, I'm used to that in most of the Chinese dramas. But the god of destruction passing from one person to another like a ball?? Skipped it for the most part. Really sad how the last ep turned out. Everything escalated quickly. They could have taken some time to let people digest that. And about the plot, it's nothing special. In the middle of the drama, I thought at least this one might have an interesting plot. But then again the same theory behind Chinese dramas, one dies really unnecessarily (SY's first death was really unnecessary imo), and the dead one comes back as a flower or a chair or even as a mole behind your back. In summary, disappointed with the last episode (not the ending I stress). But enjoyed the middle part.

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Big Beautiful Mess w/Fantastic Acting

Xianxias are my least favorite genre so made myself watch for XZ and hoped that the storyline would hold. Other actors were familiar to me as well and did very well however the plot was a bust. Every actor was commendable in doing their part just wished for a good story.

Pros: Favorite character was hard because there were several that did very well for different reasons. SY as ML had to go through the myriad of emotions and evolutions and he did so very convincingly. XZ didn't disappoint in this role; it was far different than what he'd done before and I like that he doesn't have a box he sticks himself in but tries different characters and styles. Of course, however, it being a costume drama, a flute made an appearance which brought a smile to my face. CM as the 7,000 year old mystical bird was hysterical, sometimes you wanted to smack him, other times hug him. I've never seen the actor before but he did a good job. Alan Feng as ZY, was also very versatile but I did feel his was a tragic character; that said, he did play good and possessed pretty convincingly. Lastly, I have to give it up for Han Dong or High Priest who was our biggest morally gray character in the entire thing. Usually this actor plays crazy antagonists but here he actually cared about someone other than himself and sacrificed himself for that person.

All of the other characters for the most part were there as needed and played their roles well. This was a big budget production so obviously CGI, costumes, sets were stunning as were the OSTs.

Cons: This storyline absolutely threw me; hence the low score. I know the standard operating procedure for xianxias with the baby voiced, talking to yourself, gorilla glue FLs, the misunderstandings, deaths and multiple resurrections, so on and so forth. But this had to have so many subplots and boring portions that didn't make sense that I legit had to skip episodes. Honestly, you had the merfolk/dragon plot, the palace politics nonsense, cultivators and their lives, and if that wasn't enough throw in a Sauron looking character who wanted to possess two rings not one and an ice clan that left midway and returned out of nowhere. Plus the Sauron thing could possess people by jumping them. Only thing missing was Frodo and the fellowship. Those two last episodes looked like they belonged in a totally different series; like something out of a Marvel film; very sci-fi. It was a very big beautiful mess with fantastic acting.

What was up with that ending though? When I saw "BE" trending on Weibo, I wasn't sure what to think but then when I saw it for myself, I understood. So our ML dies yet again, and a year later is resurrected when FL just randomly chucks the petal into the tree where they first met as kids from said petal. But is he real or a ghost because they stand like 10 feet apart just smiling at each other before credits role. Couldn't they at least show them hugging? And couldn't she have sent that petal into the tree earlier so he could come back? It really defies logic.

Would I recommend it? Only if you like xianxias and are a fan of any actors. Otherwise, the story is not worth it though like I said the actors did a fantastic job. I wish better scripts for the actors; with all of their skill and talent, they deserve that.

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MUST WATCH !!!

Prepare to be moved, spellbound, and deeply touched by 'The Longest Promise,' a drama that transcends the boundaries of ordinary storytelling. This masterful production takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster, skillfully weaving a tale of love, loss, and redemption that will stay etched in your heart long after the final credits roll.

At the core of 'The Longest Promise' lies an intricately crafted narrative that explores the complexities of human relationships. The story revolves around two soulmates, whose love is tested by fate and circumstances beyond their control. With a perfect blend of heart-wrenching drama and subtle moments of tenderness, the plot keeps you hooked from the very beginning.

The strength of 'The Longest Promise' lies in its exceptional cast. Each actor brings a depth of emotion to their character, breathing life into the story. Their performances are so genuine and convincing that it feels as if you're sharing in their joys and sorrows. The chemistry between the lead characters is undeniable, making their love story all the more believable and poignant.

The Longest Promise isn't just a drama; it's an experience that will leave a lasting impression on your soul. It challenges you to reflect on the power of love, the importance of forgiveness, and the resilience of the human spirit. This unforgettable journey of love and redemption will stay with you long after you've seen it, a testament to its exceptional storytelling and heartfelt performances.

In conclusion, 'The Longest Promise' is a must-watch drama that sets a new standard for the genre. If you're a fan of emotionally charged storytelling, captivating performances, and an unforgettable narrative, this drama is tailor-made for you. Be prepared to embark on an extraordinary journey filled with tears, laughter, and ultimately, a profound sense of hope.

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A beautiful love story with a predictable ending

OVERALL RATING: 8.25/10

Like many others here, I waited a long time to see this show (2 years to be precise) and was very happy when it finally aired. I was waiting to see Xiao Zhan return in a costume drama, and he definitely did not disappoint.

The Longest Promise has a simple enough story - not as complex as most other Xianxia. Although that sounds like it might be a bad thing, it is actually one of the strengths of the show. I’ll come back to this point later.

I have not read the original novel, so I had no idea what to expect. It took several episodes to get into the show - even though it was interesting enough initially. This show works when seen as a character-driven extremely slow-burn love story, but does not hold up well when dealing with palace intrigue and conspiracies. I think the student-teacher romance tag is a slight oversimplification of the relationship between the leads, which is a complex one, starting from childhood and later embroiled in prophecies and other complications.

WHAT I LIKED:

The love story between Shi Ying and Zhu Yan is convincing and sweet. This is done rather well - there is an unspoken love that they both have for each other and we never need to see physical touch to be convinced of this. It is through their actions and sacrifices for each other where this is made apparent.

The side characters are compelling enough and we are also invested in those storylines. Qing Gang and Bai Xuelu have an interesting progression to their relationship, but they are also compelling characters on their own. Yuan is a lovely second male lead - his 200-year-old love for Yao Yi is quite touching. Although he realises that Zhu Yan is Yao Yi’s reincarnation, he never pushes her to love him or does not seek her love in return. The High Priest makes for a very interesting character as well. His motivations are clear - and his ruthlessness and humanity both make sense. Chong Ming is another favourite - he provides some comic relief but he is also more than that.

The acting is great - I think everyone did a stellar job. Of course I watched this for Xiao Zhan and he was excellent in it (although, yes, he feels older than a teenager). This was the first show I watched with Ren Min - and I initially went in with some trepidation. However, she convinced me that she is a capable actress.

The CGI was relatively good - better in some places than in other places. Same for the music.

WHAT I HAD PROBLEMS WITH:

What was the relevance of the Ice Clan? They seemed to be there, lingering in the background, but we don’t know anything about them. Why do they want to cause chaos and what is their true purpose?

The last 2 episodes were a real let-down. After all the tears we cried for Yuan, he was resurrected. There was absolutely no reason for this. Soon after, he was possessed by the God of Destruction. It seemed like he was completely stripped of his agency and humanity and became obsessed with Yao Yi (which he never was before). It seemed like such a bizarre decision to do that. What was the point of bringing Yuan back from the dead just to do this? It was absolutely bonkers. When he died the second time, it didn’t have the effect it should have had. Also, the way Shi Ying died had little impact because suddenly in the last 2 episodes, our heroes are fighting a foe that was just introduced and is now all encompassing. It makes the plot convoluted and complex, without being meaningful. This is why I said the show’s strength is in its simplicity. The ultimate villain being this way was such a weak trope that ruined all the emotional buildup of the previous episodes. The multiple resurrections and immediate healing just lessened the emotional impact of the show because the stakes were so low.

Similarly, Zhu Yan loses all her senses bringing Shi Ying back to life, but then she is immediately healed by Qing Gang and Xuelu. The emotional effect of her sacrifice is lost. Of course she later says she cannot smell or taste, but as the audience, we don’t see her being seriously affected by those things (versus things like sight or hearing) and so again, the impact is gone.

The ending - did Shi Ying come back to life again? I would’ve preferred if he had actually died and not been shown again because keeping it open again kind of ruins the emotional impact it could have had.

OVERALL:

Don’t go expecting the most amazing story ever told. It is a good show and is strong when it deals with characters. However, I was very disappointed with the last 2 episodes. That said, it is still a good show with great acting. Can I also just mention what an ethereal beauty Xiao Zhan is? It was difficult to focus on subtitles when he was on screen.

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