The Longest Promise (2023)

Let down during the final episodes

I wanted to like this drama so although it wasn’t outstanding during the first half, I still found joy in seeing the ML’s subtle expressions in keeping with his loner persona. Unfortunately, the last few episodes spoilt it for me.

First, it had the classic mysterious open ending which is a pet peeve of mine.

Second, the storyline after the ML was resurrected felt very disjointed and forced. I would have rated this drama higher if they ended it then and tied up all the other loose strings for the other characters. But, the story decided to give another conflict for a dramatic ending which felt almost humorous when the evil spirit kept going into different bodies. The interaction between the ML & FL also suffered and I cringed every time they looked at each other in surprise or worry whenever they were faced with something new.

What I did like about the drama was the production quality. Sets looked good and outdoor scenery was gorgeous. CGI was a bit of hit and miss but generally ok especially during fighting scenes. I generally don’t comment on make up but really liked the eye make up for the Merfolk. Nice and subtle but enough to show they are different.

Another good thing about this drama is that it didn’t push the jealousies tropes. Although there was a SML, I liked his attitude towards and interaction with the FL. The character of the scheming princess was one I also liked as I enjoyed her being fleshed out as someone not purely evil but as someone who also does care. The actress playing this role did it wonderfully and I looked forward to watching her expressions to see this changes.

The FL’s acting was acceptable to me but I didn’t like her hairstyles and that kept getting in the way of me seeing her as a good match to the ML. When she had a fringe, she looked like a little school girl and it made her face look rounder. When it was swept to the side during the later episodes, it looked plastered down and like a wig instead…

As for the ML, I am biased as I am a fan from his work in the Untamed. While some see him as expressionless, I see the subtle changes in his eyes which the director does well in close ups. It was nicely contrasted with more carefree actions and expressions during the time he lost his memories. So if you are his fan, give this drama a go. Otherwise, best to skip it.

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Different from previous fairy tale dramas

First, The Longest Promise is different from previous fairy tale dramas in that it abuses the male protagonist, not the female protagonist. Shi Ying has a deep affection for the heroine and always thinks of her. In the end, he went through hell and narrow escape to be with the heroine. He was always honest and sincere, and was killed by the heroine twice.
Moreover, the female characters in it are all very good, focused on their careers, motivated, and women can inherit the throne. For example, the heroine Zhu Yan is the heir to the throne of the Red Clan, Bai Xuelu finally becomes the White King, and Qinggang finally gives up the position of Qing Wang and chooses to be with Bai Xuelu.

Secondly, the purpose of the play is very high. There is love, but also the righteousness of family and country! Although Shi Ying died at the hands of the heroine, he actually sealed his soul with his body, died to save the common people, served the country and the people, and was a great chivalrous man. Shi Ying's self-sacrifice bought Kong Sang 70 years of peace.
Moreover, Shi Ying used his own death to teach the heroine what it means to be a Dharma student and what it means to take responsibility. In the face of great right and wrong, the love between men and woman can be put aside!

Thirdly, Xiao Zhan's character is very stunning. I have never seen him like this before. A tall and straight figure, and an extraordinary demeanor.

You will regret it if you don't watch it. The special effects, costumes, and scenery of the drama are also very good!

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38 episodes of my life: Gone

This drama has a bad ending. There, I said it.

The whole time, we're rooting for them. If it wasn't for Xiao Zhan's pretty face, ngl, I would have left a while ago.

The whole time, we are just waiting for them to realize each other's feelings, but they are too stupid.
I cried on multiple occasions because of this.

I'm the kind of person who needs to have a good ending. Like, I'm not gonna waste 42 episodes (around 32 hrs) of my life, just so you could make me cry, have multiple heart attacks and multiple stabs in the guts. Like why does the Fl say 我爱他 and not 我爱你 to the ml??? Like was that necessary????

Btw, I'm writing this review a few months after watching. As you can see, I'm still very emotional about it. I hope this can properly warn you...

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I doubt my feelings will change.

Let's start with the Music. The intro is pretty nice song. The outro reminds me of the Mavis Bacon typing program from the 90s so at least it brought back fond memories.

The actors. A lot of reviews I see came for the male lead as someone who watched both The Untamed, Doulou continent, all 3 seasons of The Eternal Love, The legend of the White Snake, The Imperial Coroner. I can safely say I'm familiar with a good portion of the cast in this show. Honestly I will give the casting director props for picking a good looking cast in the male department. The female department is basically not very unique and you could literally show me a screenshot of the female character and I would honestly not be able to tell you what show or who they were that's how little the female casting stood out to me in the looks department.
When it comes to acting I can say that no one out shine anyone and they all did an amazing job with what they were handed. But honestly I would have loved at least one actor to look like they actually was having funny with their role the closest that look like that was the White King.

The writing -

I could tell by the very first 3 episode that the show was going to be a hot mess. There's 40 episodes yet we have a dragon, mermaid, palace drama, school drama, tribal drama, a wedding, picture coming to life, a sand demon, a fake death, a fire, an inept Emperor, a flower, etc. Was it even reasonable to expect any of these plot lines to be successfully fulfilled 😂 no not at all. I get they were ambitious but at the same time it wasn't going to work.
I wish they would have picked a few storyline and work with it. Hell they didn't even do a good job with the school life. It was a blink and you would miss it. That's what they synopsis said it was about yet that wasn't even correct.

Characters-
Shi ying- honestly this character is your stereotypical prince who was raised outside of his role, that faked his own death. Honestly I don't think I expected much from this character. Was the writing shallow very but if you are one of the people complaining about romance yet came from the show The Untamed, I'm going to question you about how you thought that show was packed with romance yet this show was lacking. The romance was on the same level, where if you know what to look for you can see it. The moment were more acts of service as the love language. Plus there's I'm pretty sure they kissed in the first 10 episodes when they were in the cloud demon thingy. Am I going to comment on how old Xiao Zhan looks to be playing 17. Not at all because the female lead didn't look that much younger than him the only reason people think so is because the crew used the age trick of bangs. While none of the other female characters around her age had bangs. Also I don't blame the Actor for acting like a plank of wood because that's the writer and directors fault for not giving better instruction

Zhu Yan- let's just say can we stop this troupe of female being childish to appear youthful at her age of 15-17 (I'm going to guess she wasn't that much younger than the prince) she would be trying to act like an adult to prove herself worthy and capable as the other student who seem to be older than her. As someone so willing to learn magic how as she not taught the foundation of magic, even if female learning is something to be frowned upon, she is still the only child yet alone daughter of the Red King so surely he would have trained her to be a good ruler of her tribe, but no she was so lacking in the basics of not only magic but also magic her family inherited, that to me shows why they are considered the weakest clan. I actually feel bad for her to be so weak. I thought going through the schooling would have made her better but I didn't see any improvement in her magic abilities when she left the mountain. Did I mention she is a Mary Sue, she might not know magic but somehow when the time comes she suddenly can perfect any spell, or have a solution to any problems. Also I agree that the dress scene took me out, That's just bad writing, folks.

Zhi Yuan- I have a question what are the mermaid rules, because I honestly don't know. I'm 20 episodes deep. He thinks he is in love with the princess because the dragon fed him some nonsense about him crying finally. I have to say I course he didn't cry when his lover died because he had his memory wipe not only that he knew she would be reborn, imagine crying everytime your husband went to work... It's that feeling that yeah it seems like a lot but he knew that death isn't the final good bye, it's only the finally good bye when he dies. Not to mention the who set gender thing that got introduced, what was the point of that so are you telling me that he wasn't a male this entire time, because he didn't fall in love with the great whatever grandma? I'm sorry but would he not think of all the children of the family as his own since he raised them as if they were. Did the grandma have a husband and that how the family had kids? Are the kids of the Crimson tribe half mermaid and they just don't speak about since the gene are probably recessive/or bred out? That's why this entire plotline to me is a waste of time it leads to more questions than answers.

Bai Xuelu- she is the character that has the most stereotypical character development. She the illegitimate daughter of the White King. So she is trying to prove herself as being more than what her mother was a lady of the night (putting it nicely) so she will do anything to become the Empress which if you honestly think about it or if she had half a brain no one would allow her to fill that role with her background. I don't know why she didn't settle on taking over the role of her father instead of the Empress but , I guess dumb people with a chip on their shoulders can be talk into anything if you put the right carrot on a string.

Qing Gang- honestly he is perfect for the role of self righteous plank of wood. He is a general, and all around good guy who just wants to save the girl who has proven time and time again to a worthless p.o.s, because he thinks love can conquer all. I'm sorry but take that method to the battlefield and see if it works... It didn't well that was a lesson worth the price of underestimating your opponent just because they are a female.

Chong Ming- honestly this is going to be a hot take but they should have switched his actor for the actor that played Shi ying. Only because he makes a more convincing 18 year old. I sat the entire time thinking that he looks so much younger than Xiao Zhan and honestly I think they miscast both of them, I get why they casted Xiao Zhan as the main character but it gets extremely distracting seeing both of them together.

Shi Yu- honestly I can see him being a good emperor and a bad emperor at the same time because he has no back bone. If it wasn't for the emperor finally stepping up to be a good father, he would have married Bai Xuelu. Just pitiful.

Bai Xueling- honestly they could have CGI the word Pitiful over her and it would honestly be the same, she didn't even try to fight for anything. If it wasn't for everyone around her pushing her and helping her, she would have been mark with a scarlet letter and the sister in law of the prince. She really was the worthless Best friend.

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Longest Promise Worth Rewatching 10 times over

I grew up watching Asian movies and haven't had a favorite male/female lead for some time. I came upon this Asian drama after Word of Honor, and this is it. I absolutely fell in love and have rewatched it 10 time already. Let me tell you why

The storyline is unique and interesting. This is not typical as they start off as a master-disciple relationship. Zhu Yan is supposed to be a teenage girl that matures and develops, which she does. Ren Min played the role perfectly with her acting skills alongside Xiao Zhan. She is cute and stubborn/tenacious but down to earth, willing to learn and be enlightened by her Master. The casting is fabulous. Xiao Zhan looks amazing at the top of his game. Ren Min is beautiful in a very unique way. She is different. She did exactly what she was supposed to do. I believe that a big time production, director, and A-list actor wouldn't choose someone they think couldn't fulfill the role.

The scene and setting is majestic, beautiful, attractive, and eye catching. I can watch this over and over again because there really isn't anything like it. The martial arts and cinematography along with special effects alone is already eye-catching.

The score and music is fantastic. I can listen to it over and over again. It is beautiful and emotional. I can connect and attach emotion to listening to it. The costumes are BEATIFULLY designed.

The one constructive criticism is the age difference in the story alongside the romance that develops. It took awhile, so slow to burn and I was just waiting for it to happen. When she matures, and the design of appearance changes, the sense of chemistry and CP is there and I think matches nicely. They weren't supposed to have CP in the beginning due to the master-disciple relationships. However, Shi Ying is supposed to be 18, in which of course doesn't really fit in appearance. Ren Min's original look actually can capture the little cute girl she was supposed to. Second, some of the storyline that develops isn't really realistic and sometimes didn't make sense, but again this is fictional drama right. I expect it NOT to line up to everything being realistic. You'll have to see for yourself.

The acting: There is no other word to describe for the 2 A-list actors and supporting actors/actresses all the way around. It is exceptional, excellent ,and top notch. Xiao Zhan is already know for his acting, but I actually find Ren Min matching him on his level. The integration of emotion for both of them is beautiful and in an instant, tears flow with empathy and feeling that is natural and authentic. I feel them both, and I've never cried with a drama NOR rewatched a drama before except for the old Legend of Condor Heroes with Barbara Yung some 30 years ago.

The ending: Oh....I can't say. I like it and I don't like it. What I want now is a season 2, which I doubt will happen.

The Lesson: the message and wisdom the storyline brings is deep, but it is easy for people to just judge in other ways without seeing this. The test of defying fate or letting fate take its course is clever! The details to how this unfolds and executed by the actors is also delicate and balanced.

Conclusion: This is a must watch and re-watch because it is different. It is captivating. They breathed life into the story with multiple layers of complexity. You would have to look at the layers and see for yourself! Thank you as the drama has elevated to a whole other level I think most dramas have not met yet!

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This one isn’t for me.

I was really excited to see this drama as I’m a XZ fan and have enjoyed his dramas. He’s a great actor. I’m not as familiar with Ren Min but I think she was doing a decent job in this show and I will definitely check out more of her work. In the end, I still dropped this after 11 episodes.

The good

All the cast members did an amazing job. I’ve seen most of the main/supporting leads in other projects so I had no doubts here. The production value is really high with really great visuals. Their costumes are typical for Xianxia but they fit pretty well here too.

The bad

The story is dragging for me. I find myself falling asleep during each episode and if that happens, then the drama isn’t strong enough to hold my attention. It’s one of those slow build up type of shows which if done well, can work. I just didn’t quite like it with this drama. The story also has a typical Xianxia feel from what I’ve seen so far. It’s a love to hate story that we typically see with Xianxia following a forbidden love/doom. Lots of CDrama tropes with the way they set up the camera shot for the romantic scenes and you will find this is most Xianxias. Story doesn’t stand out from the others.

If you are okay with these things then definitely check it out or if you are a fan of the leads, then watch. Make your own judgement on the show.

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Beautiful drama

How I start,first I start watch this because of xiao zhan,in first episode xiao zhan oly appear few minitues but I already addict to drama,this drama plot is soo good and I want to talk about renmin she is very beautiful she have cute look some pepole like to brainwash others saying she is not beauty but when you watching drama you understand she have very suitable look for drama,theiir chemistry develope is very strong,first they only have master student relationship so we don't get romantic feeling but when one by one epi we clearly understand how their chemistry build,I love it I saw lot of viewers first have negative review chage their mind like me ,both main couple are such a excellent actors and side character also best

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Worth rewatching

Another memorable performance from Xiao Zhan since his breakout drama The Untamed. Xiao Zhan is not disappointing. The story is melancholy beautiful. Xiao Zhan exudes the aura of the hero as a stoic and highly disciplined priest. This is the only C fantasy drama I've never fast forwarded one single scene since The Untamed. In the meanwhile I watched numerous C fantasy dramas but dropped them all with unsatisfactory watching experience. I'm currently rewatching The Longest Promise and still found many details of the storyline refreshing. The production values are pretty good compared with other C dramas in the same Xianxia genre. It's aesthetically pleasing with great CGI, beautiful setting, and beautiful costumes. Very decent acting from all the cast with great script writing and directing. Overall, it's a drama I enjoyed a lot. I think I can rewatch the drama many times.

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Interesting plot with beautiful CGI

The CGI and scenery are fantastic and the plot is different from novel and somehow interesting.
The ML Shi Yin is great in both acting and visual.
The relationship between Shi Yin(ML) and Zhu Yan (FL) slowly change from stranger to master and pupil and finally to..lover(not yet but now they have feeling for each other).
Shi Yin's love for Zhu Yan is very delicate and worming (I love that kind of love, non-toxic )
SY spoils his little pupil Zhu Yan like a child at first but now his feeling gradually change but he still spoiling her.
For Zhu Yan, her master is the most handsome, great, powerful man in the world and she would like to stay with him together alone for lifetime (yet she didn't notice her feeling for master)
They sacrifice for each other
Save each other .

The history of the kingdom and royal families is also complicated and interesting.
Bai Xue Lu is the 2nd character I like after Shi Yin because she is determined and she do anything to get what she want.

Worth to watch if you're Xian Huan drama fan.

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One of a kind

I was not into any Xianxia drama in the past, but the Longest Promise caught me by surprise. The main leads, the coherent story, the visual effects, and the special effects all surpass the ones in previous Xianxia dramas that I tried to finish watching but couldn't. It's one of a kind and deserves my highest recommendation.

The male lead Xiao Zhan is a bit of a distraction, in my opinion. He's so handsome and elegant that sometimes I focused too much on his character Shi Ying and lost track of the plots, so I had to rewatch some plots a second time to redirect my attention to the storyline per se. lol

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