My Journey to You (2023)

A great drama can go downhill in a second

my journey to you is one example where a superb good drama can slip downhill in a secon. damn this drama starting with a great steps imho. the character was so satisfying, the costumes is feast to eyes, and the most importan is the cinematography! it was amazing.. dark yet aesthetic, even there is time when i think that this one is drama with best cinematography as far as i can remember. so… my mistake to having a high expectation, after some episode the story getting draggy, the weak-mainlead not having character improvements at all, at first i think he was gonna becoming zero-to-hero character, but again despite all that happen in story he becoming more dull, blame the poor plot for that.

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Not sure about this one

Watched until episode 8 thought this will get better but no not for me. Way too slow and I guess I don’t like the soft spoken voices. No real action more like a soap opera.

Maybe because I like fast paced action.

Oh and the sister is extremely annoying I don’t see the purpose of that character.

The actors are ok not a fan of Esther Yu don’t see the big deal.

Also my preference to these types of dramas are more like Ten Miles of Peach Blossom, Novoland Pearl Eclipse, Legend of Fuyao, Who Rules the World, Love Like the Galaxy etc along those lines.

Simply my opinion.

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I’m not usually a fan of dark and suspenseful dramas. But the cast, acting and cinematography is great. Though the storyline and the way the film is shot is on the dark side, they wittily injected some humour through the characters and music and that balance out the heaviness of the drama for me. I like how many of the support characters back stories are very well developed , it gives the characters a lot more depth and the way it’s filmed and presented make the audience really feel for these characters. Even the “antagonists” the brothers of the ML… the wufeng guides…. you can’t bring yourself to hate them knowing all their back stories. Beautifully written, filmed, casted, acted and presented. The only reason why the rewatch value isn’t higher cos it’s a personal preference to rewatch more lighthearted dramas and a lot of the wow factor for this drama is in its unexpected plot twists. But overall I really like the drama.

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Characters Needed Work

I had to drop this drama, after many attempts at picking it back up. Mainly because I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters enough to try to properly identify the different clans and their kin.

Maybe I don't have what it takes to be a Wuxia watcher. Maybe you need to care about the Martial Arts World to watch Martial Arts centered dramas. I couldn't believe that the FL was played by the same dough-faced actress I hated so much in "Love Between Fairy and Demon". Could her role have been played better by a much better actress? Absolutely. But, she wasn't bad. She just doesn't have depth to her, naturally. She looked absolutely ridiculous in her wig, which was too large for her head. In scenes where she was supposed to outshine the other potential brides, she looked remarkably plain in comparison. Now, I am a huge fan of the moral story of a prince that chooses not the most beautiful, but the most innocent bride as his, but true goodness of character has to be expressed by the bride for us to fall in love with her.

The SFL is one that I fell in love with. They showed her vulnerability in flashbacks. They really fleshed her out. Not to mention that her beauty outshone the FL many times over.

The FL kept being saved by the SFL, the ML, and others, and without beauty, or character (like the SFL), I needed a reason to root for her, yet I found myself unable to come up with any except that she was the FL. I hated seeing the other female characters being harmed. I cared for them more than the FL, even though I knew less about them than I did about her. Without being able to care what happens to the FL, there was no tention left for me to care what happens next.

The cinematography was above and beyond the standard. It was big-budget cinematography, and bursts of colours were used sparingly and to good effect in high-drama moments.

It's not a boring drama, exactly. Just.... you have to really care about the main characters to keep your interest, as their lives are the "stake" of the entire drama. Without the two main characters, there wouldn't be a story, so if you can't care about the main characters, then you're really out of luck.

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Excellent series❤️❤️ with roller-coaster of emotions.

SPOILER ALERT



I would have given a 10 rating if it wasn't open ended, even if it were to be a sad ending. It doesn't appear that there will be follow-up according to the news articles (as at 21 September 2023) which is unimaginable.....

Draw back..... The last 4 minutes of the final episode. Open ending which ended with Zi Yu waiting for Yan to return and at the final seconds of the episode hearing the doors opening....

Back to what I think of the series:
Story 9 (taking into account the open ending) a great plot with lots of twists which kept the viewer engaged and also gave very subtle hints on certain things. At times I didn't want to watch the next episode because I will then finish it too quickly. Roller-coaster of emotions and routed for the main couple as well as Jin Fan and Zhi Shang. Cried with deaths of family members of the Gong Family as well Han Ya Si and Yun's 'sister'.

Acting: 9 in my opinion for all Main actors as well Jolin Jin (loved her so much), Tian Jia Rui (he did a great job of portraying Yuan Zhi) and of course Sun Chen Jun.

Production and Visual FX : 10 loved all the costumes and different sets / backdrops - everything was beautiful

OST: 10 Beautiful songs and Sound effects were great.

Will definitely Rewatch. I'll just make up my own ending!

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A masterpiece with plenty of tear-jerking moments

My Journey to You is an absolute gem, and I nearly give it a perfect 10 score had it not been for some loose/disjointed logics story telling midway into the drama. However, it is still an excellent Cdrama that is worth investing your time on. It is a typical good vs evil wuxia drama: with the good side being the Gong Family and the baddie being the mysterious assassin group called Wufeng. Eventually these two groups would fight it out. This drama would tear you up would give you plenty of emotional roller coaster with its intricate storylines, and strength of some of the main characters.

This drama is quite short consisting of only 24 episodes. However some of the episodes were really long well over 1hr. It could easily have been a 30-36 episode drama but for some reasons, it was shortened to 24 episodes. That makes editing process a nightmare trying to squeeze so much screen-time into 24 episodes and cutting out all scenes featuring Chu Zi Jun, who was allegedly questioned for a rape case. And this editing rears its ugly head as some scenes were disjointed and convoluted leading to a question whether it was precipitated from the need to squeeze the drama into 24 episodes, or because of the last minute editing required to delete all scenes featuring Chu Zi Jun.

First thing one would notice with this production is its rather darkish and gloomy undertone. The darkish and gloomy undertone gives the Director plenty of room to maneuver his melodramatic scenes into the drama. Unquestionably, My Journey to You is a melodramatic drama with plenty of heartbreaking scenes and tears. The makeup and costumes were purposely tone-down and not too strikingly bright and ostentatious. One could even say the makeup and costumes were too bland, albeit with some Japanese aesthetics especially on YWS, SGQ and Young Master Xue ChongZi. Nevertheless, it does not take away from my enjoyment, even though it struck as odd why the Director would go along the route knowing that this production was replete with controversies such as alleged plagiarism and the rape allegation even before its premiere.

Lu Yuxiao is the star of the show. She steals the show from Eshter Yu (Yun Weishan/YWS) with her memorable and electrifying portrayal of SGQ. She made the character exciting, and I was rooting for her more so than YWS. Her scenes were very emotional such as the torture scene in the dungeon where she revealed that she is an orphan from an extinct clan. Her chemistry with Ryan Cheng (GSJ) is off the chart, and her off-bantering with Tian JiaRui (GYZ) was exhilarating and enjoyable. Her character is full of mystery and you would never know whether she is lying, or still loyal to Wufeng until the last episode. More screentime would have been preferred for this couple.

I don’t quite like the main love pairing of Zhang Linghe (GZY) and Eshter Yu (YWS). I thought the downside to this relationship was that it was smooth without any hiccups. Even when YWS was detained in the dungeon, everyone in the Gong family including those from backhill joined forces to break her from the dungeon. GZY character was fully developed and was allowed to shine from an average martial artist to an expert one after he had mastered the 3-Realm test, but somehow YWS’s character was flat from ep1 without much development. The only good thing about YWS was when she interacts with her Raven – Han YaSi. Han YaSi’s role in this production is a minor one, but he left a lasting impression as a mentor to YWS and her sister, Yun Que.

The Cdrama ends with a cliff hanger, and gives rise to the possibility of Season 2. But it could also be the way how the Director wishes to end the drama and let the audience forms their own minds as to the fates of the female lead. But Wufeng has not been totally eradicated and still have 3 strongest members – the Head and the 2 Liang - yet to appear. Season 2 could still be on the card though.

9.5/10.

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A very mature and original wuxia drama....

I don't know what else to add as previous reviews have already beaten me to it....but I will say that I enjoyed the depth and development of the characters in this drama - this even applies to secondary and tertiary characters'good' and 'bad'.
I am quite new to Cdramas ( switched to them only in 2023 after 4 years of kdramas....😂) and this is the most 'mature' chinese fantasy wuxia drama I have watched yet - even most of the scenes and shots have a dark blue or cool hue to them adding to that realism and maturity.

Both the ML and FL already worked together on 'love between Fairy and Demon' 2022 with Dylan Wang, and from their past performances, I am very glad to see them act again, upgrading their choice of characters, showcasing their talent and versatility.

There is also an unexpected plot twist that even more savvy cdrama fans might not pick up on or maybe, but it definitely reflects the age old 'truth' that sometimes the most dangerous and unlikely enemies are much closer to us than we think, causing more harm than we can ever imagine!

I might be 'old fashioned' but I appreciated how the use of 'magic' was minimal in comparison to other Chinese fantasy dramas - yes the characters have super martial arts skill and strength, but for example, when the ML is requested to pass the 3 trials, he uses his brain, wit and socio-emotional intelligence! And when 'magic' is 'identified' it is referred to as 'witchcraft' causing some of the characters to fall sick or become consumed into evil by it- which is what it is, and none of that faffing around!

**Spoiler Alert**
There is news of a pregnancy in the last episode between the main characters ( not who you might assume and I won't say who....) which actually made me hopeful that the creators of this drama produce a second season, or expand the world or universe the story is based in.


Pleeeaeeeeeasssse! 🙏🙏🙏

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Hypervigilant household | Beautiful woman are the most dangerous

"Do you know what tool the lions use to hunt? Patience." - Gong Shangjue

My Journey to You is a complex yet addicting story that will make you buckle up to your seat for how exciting it gets each coming episodes. Definitely one of the best espionage drama I have ever seen for the last couple of years. The production was taken seriously and they did not hold back even one bit in executing suspenseful and exciting sequences till the very end. Although it ended on a cliffhanger which made me contemplate so much on how should I rate it but considering on how good it was constructed, I still ended up throwing all those dissatisfaction off of the window simple because I know that this drama deserves so much more in comparison to all the contradicting reviews it has gotten from its viewers who probably came watching it looking for some lovey-dovey clichė love story following the success of The love of Fairy and Devil.

One important factor of this show that I really wanna talk about is its balance. I love that they went all out with this drama in terms of providing thrilling and hilarious scenes by incorporating a lot of funny antics through Gong Zi Shang. She may seem weird and absurd at first for her slapstick personality but she of all the characters has made the greatest difference for me to enjoy this drama even more. She's like the comedian among the pack of wolves—silly, clumsy and delusional. The story has become more brighter and entertaining thanks to her huge presence all throughout the show.

I also wanna talk about the word plays and the atmosphere of the drama. The exchange of sarcasms and double edge proverbs has always fascinates me but the way they're delivered here felt even more lethal and sensational. Each character has this mysterious aura to them that will make you wonder how will they react to each situation every single time simply because of how unpredictable they all can be.

Another thing I found unique is their way of showing the flashbacks. I find it amusing and puzzling at first because of how melodramatic, emotional and long it can typical be but then I realized later on that it is their other way of story telling. I love how they efficiently utilized it to make sure that no mysteries are forgotten and unaddressed which is ingenious and innovative now that I finished the drama. I also just wanna mention how intricate and expressive they are in making all those flashbacks; because you can feel that they're perfectly put together not to simply show what has happened behind the scenes but to also express the emotions during those scenes. Brilliant and satisfying!

Lastly, the chemistry between the Main leads. I find it really frustrating how people are saying that Yu Shu Xin and Zhang Ling He (and their characters) got no chemistry at all. Like, are they blind? Those two has showed the most chemistry of all the pairings of this drama (not including Gong Shang Jue and Gong Yuan Zhi cause they're on a different tier list Lol) and I still feel the butterflies in my stomach whenever I reminisce through their cute and intimate scenes! So, what are they talking about? Maybe it was overshadowed by the plot and all the mess going on with the story but certainly both of them has good chemistry and synergy. Same level of chemitry I feel for Jin Fan and Gong Zi Shang.

P.S. Episode 19 is peak martial arts exhibition!! Insane camera works, amazing swords play and top class choreography! Definitely my most favorite episode of all.

Story - 10, It was intricately created and may seem complex at first but the more you dive into it, the more exciting and entertaining it gets. The show is highly concentrated on the plot and how it goes and not your typical drama where it focuses on the love story. Which is great because this is an espionage themed drama after all.

Acting/Cast - 10, I'm sold! This made me realize how good of an actress Yu Shu Xin is. Her expression and body movements are all on point, same goes with Zhang Ling He. Another actors/actresses I want to mention for portraying their characters flawlessly are Ryan Cheng, Tian Jia Rui, Lu Yu Xiao and most specially Jolin Jin. What an spectacular set of great actors!

Music - 10, Honestly, I was quite bothered by the use of music during the Sword Wielder's tribute flashback but as time goes on, I just naturally resonated and got moved by the emotions brought by the BGMs used. So, Good Job to the Music department for bring in your AAA+ game.

Rewatch Value - 10, This is one of those dramas I got no problem re-watching at all. I even think that we could have gotten more episodes. Not to mention each episode is mostly an hour long yet I still need more! And honestly, I find it more appealing and entertaining compared to those highly romanticize Idol dramas. So, don't even hesitate and just go watch it!

Overall - 10, Definitely the superior Yu Shu Xin and Zhang Ling He drama together. If you know what I'm saying. Hahaha! I like almost everything about this drama aside from that cliffhanger at the very end... but even with that, this drama's still a precious one for me. It executed and greatly delivered!

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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The story really have a plot twist that will shocked you.

Yu Shuxin is the main female lead in My Journey To You that played the character role of Yun Weishan, the secret spy that will enter the Gong's residence. She proved to everyone that she's a very versatile Chinese drama actress and singer that can accept challenging and not her usual roles just like in Love Between Fairy and Devil and A Romance of the Little Forest and Sword and Fairy 6. She even lost some weights to be able to satisfy her role as a spy and requirements of the director. All the casts are very promising and the story is well written that the viewers will be captivated to watch until the end and having a 24 episodes is a bit short. For me I want it to be a long series or having a season 2.

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Cheering for Season 2

I'm really into this kind of drama, and here's what I love about it: The cinematography is stunning, the dialogue is captivating, those slow-motion fight scenes are just perfect, and the mystery keeps me hooked.

But there's one little thing that bugs me about this drama – the lip color they put on the male leads. It's not a big deal, but it stands out to me.

I get that not everyone might share my passion for this genre, but I'm a big fan, just like I am of "Sword Snow Stride." I'm really hoping for a second season for both of these shows, and I'm definitely cheering for it!

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