Chinese Historical & Wuxia Dramas

As far as revenge plots go, it doesn't get better than this. This is like the apex of historical dramas (not a personal opinion, this was by far the biggest hit in China). My favorite of all time for sure. It's a fast-paced justice/revenge and court politics drama, involving plotting and mind games; I would probably liken this to a game of chess. But it's fast-paced so it didn't bore me at all. The plot hits the ground running in ep 1. This is one of those dramas where every scene, every move, and every line isn't wasted; they're full of intention and purpose. The flashbacks, the foreshadowing, ugh my heart. 

The romance is kind of a withered unfortunately. The revenge story is also simple, it's not like "You killed him, I'll kill you." It's literally uprooting an entire court of corrupt people to overturn a case. I also like that the pieces don't just fall onto the board, like it's meant to happen. A lot of it is based on probability and the decisions the mc makes based on whatever happens.

The main character plays the good/bad guy, but basically everyone in the drama has morally gray characters. I also just want to say, I adore the actor. People speak very highly of him for a good reason. The actors are all well-known veteran actors so they deliver everything to the point of perfection. And they're a lot older, so it's not a drama meant for drooling over hot guys and girls. Also, fun fact: the teen bodyguard is the male lead in The Long Ballad. 

The overall atmosphere and chemistry is definitely more mature and heavy. Nothing super melodramatic though. The drama has a more gritty and realistic feel to it than most (without being boring) historical dramas. 

I would advise watching this after watching some other historical dramas, just so you can get used to everything. The downside to this drama is that you don't feel super attached, because you basically feel like you're starting in the middle of a story.

So, there are two types of people watching this drama: those that understand what's going on, and those that watch it expecting something else. If you are expecting romance, simple plot devices, you're in the wrong place. This is one of the emotionally heavier, political dramas. All of the characters are quite fleshed out. This drama is probably one of my favorite character dramas. The plot is okay, but it's not worth comparing to Nirvana in Fire. It's more about how in-depth and realistic they went with the relationship dynamics in here.

This is more of a father and son story than a romantic story. I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop, as turbulent as it was. Both are amazing in their roles as emperor-subject, father-son. However, the plot gets kind of messy half way through though. Some parts they dragged it on for no reason. But the acting from the entire cast was impeccable. I love the female and male leads, they're some of my favorite actors. The male lead is absolutely perfect for his role. Almost everyone in here is a veteran actor, so it delivered very well. This is one of those acting-far-exceeds-the-plot dramas. 

Here, it's mostly about watching the male lead mature and struggle in his position. He's a deeply sentimental person, so he's kind of a crybaby in here. People always want strong male characters, so he gets bashed on for being weak. But his character isn't that simple; he's pretty interesting and rare in historical dramas. Most dramas are too light and can't capture the realistic power struggle in a royal family well. This one is purely an angsty tragedy. There are quite a few cry-worthy moments. I also really liked the music in here, it's paired very well and draws out your emotions easily.

I highly recommend, but it's quite heavy and political. You have to understand some culture and power dynamics to get an idea. Also, the subtitles are terrible on YouTube.

This is a continuation of Royal Nirvana (so basically there are 72 episodes of this drama total).  It has a few episodes to fill in some information gaps in the original story. There are a lot of unexplained details that the audience is inherently supposed to know (?), but they explain it pretty well in here. They also tie up some remaining loose ends to the story. There are a lot of flashbacks to the same scenes in the original drama, but they add in scenes cut from the the original, giving it better closure. They pretty much pick up right from where they left off of.

There are also some good, hidden plot twists in here that help you connect the dots. It really depends on your awareness of missing plot devices in the original, because some things don't quite add up in the original. It's also pretty cool how they used the same scenes in the last couple episodes of the original and filled in the gaps in this special. It really helps you see the characters in the scenes in a different light (basically everything hurts more). 

The special goes into great detail to lay out the plot given some time has passed. You also get to see the father-son relationship develop further. It's kind of disturbing to see the Crown Prince's changes in relation to his circumstances and to his father in particular, but you don't realize it until later. I liked the ending of this special for that reason. The plot and setup makes a full circle, a reflection of two characters as one person. Some people might disagree, but I thought the ending was fitting for this plot, if not a little ironic. I was kind of numbed to it at this point. Too many things happened in the beginning for it not to end up this way.

I would advise watching this immediately after watching Royal Nirvana. Otherwise, you'll forget a lot of the smaller details and questions you had in Royal Nirvana. These episodes are shorter and there's only 12 episodes total in this special. 

This is probably one of my favorites of all time. I think I might've watched it twice. It's one of those where the mc is a guy, not a girl (and it solely focuses on the guy). It's also by far one of the most well-rounded dramas (comedy, romance, politics, etc.) I've seen. But it's not exactly a super serious, political drama, so it's not super upscale.

It's about our mc who grows into adulthood. The plot is slower at the beginning, but it picks up (lots of worldbuilding, setting up plot). It's supposed to extend for 3 seasons, and this is only the 1st, which is why the setup takes half the drama. If NiF was a game of chess, then JoL is a whole sitting of several games, because it's much more convoluted with more people involved. It's also one of those "everything they say, do or sneeze means something" dramas. 

I absolutely love the actors, especially the older dudes. Side note: the actor who plays the emperor is like the most revered movie/drama actor in China. And can we appreciate that he never wears the appropriate Emperor attire because he doesn't need to show who's the boss? The whole cast was amazing, definitely not a one man show. The mc also does a very good job of portraying his snarky, boyish personality. Even the kid actor was so good. Also, I like that this mc isn't played by some pretty face actor. 

The lead's romance isn't really existent, probably because there's a subtle harem going on. So it's just chemistry flying around. It's chill at the beginning, but things become more serious as the plot unfolds (we don't ever talk about the cliffhanger). I love that the comedic tone is not lost even at the end of the drama.

I would watch other simpler historical dramas before watching this one. Also, this is in the making of a bigger story, so it might not make sense sometimes (I read the novel). It feels cliche and childish in the beginning, but the full story is actually more complex.

This is definitely tied with or close second to Joy of Life. It's honestly so good, I have no words. The premise is very similar to Joy of Life, except there's more plotting and scheming and assassinations involved. This drama is about a young man who is meant to be the heir to a war lord, and he goes on an journey to honor a friend's death and find out about his mother's death. The main plotting is between the father and the son. Both of them are hilarious and chill on the outside, but terrifying when people realize how they're playing the game.

The plot was written flawlessly. My only regret is that the drama didn't fully portray the novel's magnitude. This novel is better than JoL's novel. Overall, the storyline is very engaging and keeps you hooked. I think JoL had a slightly better setup, but this drama could overtake it with its plot. The mc is the same actor and his role is similar to JoL, but more mature. The entire cast was amazing; it's filled with veteran actors. There are also several of the cast from JoL in here too. There isn't a lot of romance going on, everything is open-ended, which I liked. There's a lot more martial arts involved, and the CGI didn't look too horrible (or maybe my eyes were blurry). 

Where JoL and this drama differs is that JoL was executed and produced at a higher quality. You can tell the production budget is higher in JoL. In here, it's more gritty and real. But also at a lower quality. Nonetheless, this drama's story is somewhat more well-written and involves more people. Similarly, they both still have several seasons to go. This one had a better closure for the first season than JoL, but a lot of things are still up in the air.

I highly recommend watching this. The one lacking thing in here is the music. Overall, JoL is produced better, but this drama's story and people are more intriguing and complicated. It's very political and heavy.

I'm not that into romance, but I can't deny that this was such a gem. This drama is probably at the top of any list in terms of romantic wuxia/xianxia dramas. This is a love story spanning "three worlds," it's really just the main character in three different identities. The plot pace is moderate, so it holds your attention. 

The plot was developed pretty well. There's not really that much plotting or scheming going on (like a little), so the villains are less interesting. What makes this drama so amazing is the cast and how real they made the story. There is a very wide cast of people and every one of them played their role wonderfully well, particularly our main leads. A good number of the actors in this drama are all big shot actors, so expect high quality acting from them. The male lead was such an amazing actor, ugh his emotions and his voice. The chemistry and romance between the leads are more mature thankfully, like nothing super dumb and childish serve as conflict to their relationship. Mild tragedy maybe. 

I just love the aesthetic feel of this drama, like the ethereal atmosphere of it (you would expect from a drama with immortals and heaven etc). The music is also so beautifully paired with this drama--you can literally feel the heartache. Honestly, the music was like one of the best things about this drama, and this is a proven fact. I am backed up by many people on this.

In a general sense, the romance of this story doesn't exactly have that sort of appeal/logic to me. I still love it though. It's definitely one of the highest production dramas China has to offer. And literally everyone will recommend you this one right off the bat for romance. This would definitely be one of the first romance dramas I would suggest you watching.

I think this is one of my favorite family dramas. It's about the life of a girl who grows up in a thankless official's family and eventually becomes a Marchioness. Given the length of the drama, it is very finely detailed and elaborately written. The characters go through many stages of development, so it's difficult to see how everything comes together in the beginning. The pacing is slower, but not lacking in momentum. It feels like slice of life, but full of conflicts.

This is borderline more of a slice of life drama, but there are plenty of petty schemes and conflicts between different noble households. Aside from the well-constructed plot, I have high praises for the cast. Most of them are rather well-known veterans and boy, did they deliver. The main leads were very natural and true to their character's dispositions. And the mc does not disappoint, as she is full of maturity and careful considerations. The male lead is also something else; his character's story and background isn't the typical, glorious man. Both overcome a lot on their own and together, which makes them enjoyable to watch. Aside from the amazing acting, the characters were also fleshed out very nicely.

The production quality of this drama is pretty high. The costumes and music was done delicately and fittingly. Another of the pros is that the voices were not dubbed, which made everything feel altogether more natural and realistic. Most of the plot does not involve the imperial family much (maybe towards the end), so it's very focused on the households and closely follows the female lead's life as she grows up. You can tell it's a full story given how the first few episodes were entirely of her childhood. 

I definitely recommend. It's a very well-rounded family drama, and although there was a lot of petty scheming and fighting, there were also a lot of life lessons taught in here. Each character has their respective flaws.

This is the spin-off from Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms (Eternal Love), and it's begrudgingly good. I thought it would shadowed by its parent drama, but they made it unique in its own way. There are a few character changes, but the main ones are the same. It's also a romance story but with the female lead pining after the male lead this time. The plot has about the same premise with three identities, but set up differently.

The overall production quality was not as good as Eternal Love, but it still really good. I give all of the credit to the two main leads. They were absolutely iconic. I love the micro expressions of the male lead, it's just too good. He literally lives and breathes that character. The female character also plays her role very well; they're just super compatible together. Their relationship dynamics were very different from that of Eternal Love's, which was a mature love story. This one is more playful and kind of childish, there's definitely more comedy in this spin-off.

Not just the romance, but overall this is more playful and lighthearted than Eternal Love. You can see this in the lighting and the costumes; it's a lot brighter and softer, versus Eternal Love with heavier, darker elements. The music is also a lot lighter, which I quite liked. I actually enjoyed the changes they made to the story. They also made the side characters in both dramas more personable. You could relate to them more, whereas Eternal Love's leads overshadowed the rest of the cast. This is the kind of drama you would watch for the characters more than the plot.

I definitely, highly recommend. You can watch this before watching Eternal Love if you insist. You could compare the two, but there's no need to; they're selling a different images. The lead's romance plot in Eternal Love is changed here, so ignore their storyline in that one; it has nothing to do with this one. 

This is another of this female lead's big production historical/wuxia dramas of the year. It's constructed wonderfully well, based on a tragic novel. It's a heroine story raised under a secret service for the emperor. There are some cliches and tropes involved, namely the ruinous master-disciple relationship. It's partially a forbidden romance as well as a coming-of-age story with some politics and brotherhood involved. The politics aren't overly complicated though. 

The cast had a great mix of characters to start. More than anything, everyone was very well suited for their roles, particularly the emperor. You can expect a pretty decent historical drama anytime this female lead is acting in it. The male lead also had great chemistry with the female lead; he doesn't often act in historical dramas, so you don't see him too often. The main cast had very different dynamics and great chemistry with each other. No one's performance exceeded others by a lot. It was a very cohesive group, not to mention many aren't really veteran actors, aside from the male and female lead. 

The plot is a little slow paced at the beginning, but it picks up quickly. It's a riveting watch with some small plot twists, but it mostly sticks to the standard. It sticks to the original novel pretty well, but my only issue with this drama is the ending. It was too rushed and according to productions, they cut off like 7 episodes. Lot of parts were cut short, so it doesn't feel as complete as it should. The production quality is very high and the music is paired pretty well. The costumes and settings were done nicely as well. Of course, it still falls short to Eternal Love, but it's definitely better than Legend of Fu Yao (with less characters).

I highly recommend. It sorta has a tragic ending, but they basically get their happy ending around ep 46 or 47. There's a twist to the plot, because it starts with what you think is revenge. 

This is a heroine revenge story. This one is among my top for heroine revenge stories. The plot is moderately-paced, but tightly packed, there's literally not a single resting moment in this drama. You will see the internal struggles and character development in pretty much all of the main characters. The antagonists are created thoughtfully (they're mirrors of the main leads), but they are developed a little shallowly. 

My heart goes out to the cast, all of the actors did their part immaculately. Especially the male lead; his acting is absolutely stunning for someone his age. He's one of my favorites among the newer, younger generation of actors. His grieving scene was honestly everything. The female lead has a tomboyish character that she played out nicely; her acting is slightly lacking compared to the male lead, but it's negligible. The remaining cast and side stories were equally enjoyable, if not even more so (the second leads' chemistry was better). 

The production quality of this drama was pretty good and I really enjoyed the music paired with this drama. The costumes and set up were done nicely, although they did have some cheats by using manga scenes. I must say the atmosphere of this drama was a little heavier sometimes and I felt like despite the good acting of our leads, they weren't able to fill in the weight of their roles completely. If you compare this to the manga, you'll understand why they're not exactly the most suitable for their roles. But they played their roles out wonderfully well--just wanted to point this out. 

Definitely recommend. I will say this revenge story is a little cliche, and closely enjoyed by young adults. It's by no means an actual adult drama like Royal Nirvana. Still, the overall premise of this story is much more enjoyable than the typical trope in my opinion. Revenge dramas can get tiring quickly, but this one had other factors that kept it interesting in the long run.

This was, hands down, one of the most underrated detective show. It's rather short, with only 24 episodes, but it was a stunner for sure. The plot is tightly knit and paced very well, in which the story is about an amnesiac young man, who is searching for the truth behind his father's death many years ago. There are several cases strung together, which all tie back to the mc's lost memories and the death of his father and the killer whose body is missing.

First off, kudos to the entire cast, majority whom are young and new. The acting is kind of average, but it was sufficient to carry the story. The main leads did pretty well, though there wasn't too much of a romance to speak of. I would say, this drama's biggest credit is the storyline and how it was portrayed. It's very direct and there's basically no filler. There was an okay amount of character development, but the plot development was something else. The cast was limited in characters but each were portrayed very uniquely and memorably (which is difficult in these dramas). 

You know what's disappointing though? The ending. There is clear indication that a 2nd season is needed to finish the story, and yet we are still without a 2nd season. Several loose ends are still hanging. And although this show is on low budget, this is also one of its charms. The lighting and the framing of low budget created a very natural and realistic setting. The costumes were also rather unique to the drama. I quite liked the music, although majority of the soundtracks come from Joy of Life. 

This is probably one of my top detective dramas. I highly recommend to anyone interested in well-balanced suspense and mystery. And the ending was a shock to most (although I suspected it earlier on, the truth of the matter was still shocking). This drama was written exceedingly well for such a small production. 

It has been a very promising start for this drama. It's a story about a young girl who is uneducated and unladylike due to her childhood. She eventually gets entangled with three men (it's not as bad as it sounds). The storyline doesn't sound amazing, but its pacing carried surprisingly well. 

A few likes I have to give to this drama is the main girl's character. She's hilarious in a witty and slow way, so I can understand how three men became interested in her. The entire cast did a phenomenal job of acting their respective roles. The male lead doesn't disappoint from his previous drama, The Long Ballad. He's still going pretty strong, although he seemed a little wooden at the beginning. The female lead is also doing a wonderful job of portraying her character, which is vastly different from her previous role in The Long Ballad as well. There's good chemistry going on and off screen between the leads (probably due to their close age). The second and third male leads were also rather compatible with the female lead, which I liked. 

The plot in this first half was built nicely and didn't drag too much. There are quite a few signs of harem politics and complicated family history. There is also a revenge subplot going on with the male lead, which I'm sure will interfere with the main romance plot in the second part. Overall, it's doing pretty well. Surprisingly, the music is pretty limited to instrumental, which gives a different atmosphere for a turn. Another like is that most of their voices aren't dubbed, so it feels more natural and raw. The production quality is upper-mid tier I think.

I definitely recommend. It's a considerably light watch, but not purely comedic. It reminds me of a family drama, except it builds more on the female lead's character.

The second part finished strongly as I had expected. Both leads were very fulfilling in their roles and compatibility with each other. I am very impressed by their development as they matured from all the traumatic scenes. 

Long story short, the plot finished well. I think it might be a little anti-climatic plot-wise, but the scenes were done to a perfection. The relationships between the characters and how that brewed conflict had very clean finishes and no loose ends. I must say I am disappointed in how the villains and conflicts were portrayed. Half of it was petty women scheming and trying to kill the main female lead. Overall, the political side isn't very deep. I did quite enjoy the emotional scenes though.

Overall, I highly recommend. It's very hyped up right now and for the right reasons. The relationships of the men with the female lead were reasonably drawn out through the story. And we have a clear winner, which is a relief. 

This drama is actually a mix of modern and historical. It's a comedic, lighthearted romance drama. This drama is much shorter than most and is honestly just a really cute and fun watch. This is probably my top short and sweet, comedic dramas. I'm actually not super into watching these types of dramas, but this one got super popular and caught my eye. It's kind of cliche, but also not. It's about a scriptwriter who gets pulled into her story and is somehow trying to push along the plot so she can return without dying. 

The main leads' shoulders probably hurt from carrying this drama. The plot isn't anything special and this was a cheaply produced drama, but the actors made it work so well. Both are relatively new to the acting industry, but they're already better than majority of their peers. The chemistry between the leads is amazing. The main leads' servants were also so hilarious. Like the four of them carried the whole drama. The flirting, the banter, and misunderstandings between the main characters are so funny; whoever wrote the script was great, but whoever picked these actors deserves an award. 

I also love that the drama uses dramatically serious music sometimes, but it makes the scenes even more comedic. The plot is messy on the down low, but the premise is entertaining, like I've never seen it. And honestly, who's going to watch this kind of drama for the plot? 

I highly, very highly recommend watching this drama before any other historical dramas. Or watch it after a filler drama. It's an easier transition for beginners, and it'll accurately point out the cliches of typical historical dramas. It's technically a filler, but this is a filler with good acting.

I quite like this harem drama. It's about a girl who marries to a Marquis as the legal wife, despite being the daughter of a concubine. What makes it worse is that this guy already has several other concubines vying for his attention. It's harem politics and scheming, but not in the royal family. I quite like that the drama is solely set in the noble families. The plot is constructed in line with each of the character settings, which makes you empathize with them more than you expect.

The plot has a moderate pace, following the girl's experiences with her in-laws. I really liked her character; she's sensible, but sometimes makes mistakes. This drama fleshes out her character pretty well. The acting from both leads was superb. I really enjoyed their chemistry together. They had a very sweet coming together, despite how long it took. The female and male leads usually act more in modern dramas, so you won't see them on this list too often. Both are veteran actors, and the cast has quite a few experienced actors as well. Even the antagonists played their parts so well that you get annoyed just seeing their face. Kudos to everyone honestly. 

Usually, harem dramas annoy me a lot, but this one was done very nicely. For one, I liked the setting. It's within a noble family, and they emphasize the history of a female's disposition as a concubine and legal wife. Two, the female lead isn't aggressive or counterattacks others with scheming. She's rather mature and calm for her age. The production of this drama is midsized to large I would say. The music and costumes are very fitting. The atmosphere of this drama is a mix of light and dark. 

I would definitely recommend, but it's mostly about harem politics and character development. The plot in here isn't too vigorous, but somehow you just want to keep watching this next episode. 

This drama is a favorite, not because it's supposedly a continuation of Nirvana in Fire, but because of the mc. This is a spin-off many years after Nirvana in Fire has been concluded. This time, they're returning with a much younger cast. It's a coming-of-age, hero's journey story but with court politics and war, centered around our male mc. There's no mid-story revenge plot this time.

Most of the actors are fresh off the boat, with the exception of the older roles filled by some veteran actors. The cast was pretty okay I would say. My heart goes out to the main character though; his acting came through so so well for his age. You can really see his change in character as he matured, like he went from a boisterous teenager to a solemn, level-headed young man. There's this weightiness in his words and movements that changes his appearance. Basically, the way he carries himself changes drastically. Anyways, he has a lot of potential for someone  in his generation.

Of course, we have the plot to thank for the character development in the mc. The plot was structured nicely, although it dragged a little at some points. I feel like one subplot that wasn't developed as well was the romance between the leads. It might've been the female lead--her acting was pretty average, if not, a little subpar. I personally didn't care much for it though, the plot carried out its main story remarkably well. Since this is a story involving the journey of the mc, I feel like the biggest highlight should be the changes in the mc, which was delivered adequately. The construct of the plot wasn't too bad either; they didn't just have everything circle the mc.

I would recommend watching this, just note that there's a lot of politics going on, different from NiF but politics nonetheless (the politics were less interesting to me though).

This is kind of a typical princess revenge drama. It's essentially the main female lead's journey to conquer her enemy kingdom while falling in love with her enemy. I thought it was just alright, but it's really one of the better ones China has to offer in terms of this trope. This drama is heavily based on court politics and women/harem politics, so beware of that. This drama kind of dragged on for me, I think I skipped through at times. Petty women politics aren't really my thing, and I've seen too much of it to enjoy this. 

The interactions between the leads were sweet and playful in a married couple way. The cast in general is pretty good; a number of these actors are veteran actors. Some actors are still lacking like they're not the top tier of the veteran actors, but it doesn't dim the overall authenticity of the drama. 

I really liked the way the male lead portrayed his character, he has a distinct, mellow charm. His character is kind of unique across typical dramas; he has a gentle playful personality. You usually get the overboard flirty male lead or the overboard cold and mean male lead. The male lead is also an amazing veteran actor (as seen in Royal Nirvana, etc.) I'm not a huge fan of the female lead's acting, but it's bearable I guess. Their chemistry came out nicely (probably because they were actually dating at the time). 

The production quality is good, not exactly the best, but this drama has a decently large budget. The general atmosphere of the drama is a little serious, with some hints of playfulness, kind of a coming-of-age feel. It definitely has a heavier, more mature theme to it, mostly from the way the veteran actors acted for their roles.

I would consider watching it, it's done with more consideration than filler dramas. It's better than Legend of Fu Yao in terms of plot and maybe even acting. It's yet another facet to the princess revenge trope, but the set up is very different from the Long Ballad. 

So this drama is a tragedy, but don't worry. There's a modern drama called Forever and Ever which follows up this drama in modern times. Basically, it's showing them reincarnated. I thought this drama was pretty good. The plot is predictable, but it's overall paced nicely. It's another forbidden master-disciple relationship, but what's worse is that the "master" basically swears off wives and children for the rest of his life. Of course, he regrets. 

The acting came along quite nicely. The female lead's character in here is quite different from her typical roles. Her tomboy act is better than her role in here. I wasn't a huge fan of her character in here. The male lead's acting has come a long way from Destiny of White Snake. I think you'll see in this drama, he does a wonderful job of grasping the subtle nuances of his role. Their chemistry is pretty okay. I wouldn't say it's exceptional, but it was alright. You'll see some familiar faces in here too, mostly from Under the Power. The cast was pretty cohesive; there's a mix of veteran and new actors. 

The plot was lowkey messy, but it was alright given this was taken care of within 24 episodes. I think the production quality was pretty good for this short of a drama. But I must say, I don't know why they're reusing the background music from Lost Love in Times. Other than that, I enjoyed the overall production of the drama. I quite liked the soundtrack music. There are some politics going on in this drama, which may be a downside if you dislike it, but it's not super heavy. You'll catch on pretty quick. 

I would recommend this drama if you're okay with tragic endings. I mean, you could watch the modern part to comfort yourself, so it's not too much loss. It's based off a novel and it follows the story for the most part. 

This had so much potential. And it bore little fruit. This is a revenge type drama where the female lead is trying to assassinate the male lead, which fails. They end up engaging under different identities and become involved with a lot of politics. It's mostly political heavy drama with some family drama, particularly figuring out her true identity. This was very much similar to Princess Weiyoung.

The beginning was great. The plot was moving along a decently fast pace and lots of things were building up. But somewhere a little before the midpoint, the plot started choking. And I'm positive the problem was with the villains. The way the plot took care of the villains one by one was really something I abhorred. The plot became so shallow, even though they could have made it more complex. I did like that there weren't as many cliches like imperial harem riots and petty scheming. There were some, but overall there were more loving families and stronger brotherhood than in Princess Weiyoung. I was majorly annoyed by the ending, however. I don't even want to bother interpreting what actually happened. 

I quite liked the casting. The cast had mainly seasoned actors, particularly our leads. The female lead has improved so much from Joy of Life and Princess Agents. The male lead was also an exceptional actor (he's a well-known movie actor), although people keep bashing that he isn't handsome. Their chemistry together was pretty good, but I didn't really care for the romantic scenes. I would say the acting carried the plot.

The drama's costumes, dark lighting, and music was done very well. I would say this was upper-tier production. This had the bearings and makings of something better, but it turned out a little disappointing. Either way, I would recommend it for that first half. I would say this is somewhat more adult and less cute/comedic scenes. It's a little heavier but nothing super emotional. 

This drama is produced by Eternal Love's team, but it's not part of the series with Eternal Love and Eternal Love of Dream, it's just set in the same universe. Basically, it's a spinoff. It's similar in that it's dealing with three different identities. It's about a young maiden who wakes up the war deity, but also potentially wakes up the demon lord. 

The plot is pretty on track, it doesn't drag or rush too much. It sounds very similar to the other two dramas, but it's actually much darker and down-to-earth. It feels more mature and grounded, which I really liked. All of the credits go to our main leads. The male lead is an established movie actor and the female lead is also a well-known movie actress. Naturally, their acting was very on point. A lot of people complain the male lead looks too old/not handsome enough, but honestly, he fits the "thousands of years older, war deity" role ten times better than all the younger actors. The leads had very strong chemistry together too. 

The production quality of this drama is slightly lower than Eternal Love. A few things that puts this behind the other two are the music, the ending, and the overall casting. The ending was rushed; I didn't like how they developed the second male lead's ending. It just felt super anticlimactic. Also, the cast wasn't as wholesome and their acting was average. I just really preferred the leads' acting and their character roles here. The female lead isn't an idiot who finds out last minute the male lead is sacrificing himself without telling her. She's very lovable, but mature and witty. The male lead also plays his role as a war deity the way I imagined it. He's kind of intense and rough but is very stable and mature.

I would recommend though. It's done remarkably well given its predecessors. On YouTube some episodes are missing subtitles, so you'll have to watch elsewhere to get the full experience. 

It's been a while since I've seen a true wuxia drama. This is a wuxia drama in a traditional sense, where there's less romance and more fighting injustice in the pugilist world. It's also stacked with the wuxia tropes of clashing love interests, revenge, and family feuds. I've quite missed this kind of genre, since the recent ones are always trying to outdo themselves. This was a breath of fresh air and nostalgia.

The plot revolves around a young man's journey and his later sworn brothers and love interest. They become entangled with each other, leading to much bloodshed and political struggle in the pugilist world. For a relatively younger cast, the acting was done pretty well. Although they are not new to historical dramas, they are still considerably young, so kudos to them. The plot laid out was very standard and clean cut as a wuxia drama. I feel like the drama focused more on the group as a whole, so I didn't notice the leads in particular. The main female was kind of annoying, but tolerable given her character. 

What I really liked was how they produced the drama; the setting, choreography, characters. They were all done admirably well, particular for a lower end budget. It's not a small production, but it's still pretty limited. The plot becomes invariably twisted as characters begin to blacken. If anything, the dark atmosphere, music, and colors of the sets in the beginning give a lot away as to how the story proceeds. As such, the characters are fleshed out nicely. My only issue, and one at large, is the pacing. The pacing of the drama is done moderately well, but there are moments where it drags and some scenes are wasted, which made watching it less enjoyable.

I would recommend this drama to anyone interested in seeing traditional wuxia played out in modern filming. The drama is more of a coming-of-age story with some hints of comedy, but it mostly shows the ambitions and determinations of the younger generation. 

This is a romance story that just wasn't meant to be (in a non-forbidden love trope way). The premise of the story was alright, messy though. For some reason, it seems to pay homage to Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms/Eternal Love in terms of living different identities and falling in love as such (but it's a vastly different plot). The plot is kind of fast-paced, lots of things happen/escalate within the first quarter of the drama. This is a decently large production drama.

The female and male lead worked well together. The female lead isn't exactly suitable for this role or historical looks. But she's one of the biggest movie actresses in China; her acting was still great. The rest of the cast delivered alright, since a lot of them were newer actors except like 4 or 5 people. The cast isn't super big, so you'll get to know the side characters decently well. The dynamics between the main leads are somewhat less mature; they chase each other back and forth. And the male lead is one of those cold, high-above guys, but he's really good at acting. It's not stiff, which I appreciate, given his character settings. He does a good job of expressing emotions with his eyes, a necessity for his character.

So, I thought the plot didn't make that much progress in the long run, because the end goal was basically the same throughout the entire drama. They just prolonged an ending basically. But the overall production and music was really good. The politics are more subtle, but there's definitely some petty scheming going on. The villains were villainized in a low key exaggerated way. They weren't terribly interesting to me, because it was kind of obvious from the start. The plot isn't too difficult to understand. I like how they tried to balance the power play between gods and mortals. 

I thought it was an enjoyable watch. It's better than a typical filler drama, but don't expect too much from the plot. 

This drama had my heart at the beginning, and then it cut it to pieces. This is a tragic romance story between two people of different kingdoms/nations in an arranged marriage. There's a mix of court politics and petty harem politics between women (like who has the prince's favor etc.). 

I really liked this drama, but the plot kind of plummets, and I blame it on the tragedy tag. It's not Romeo-and-Juliet-esque per se, like it's not forbidden romance. It's doomed for other reasons. From the first hiccup, you'll be sitting throughout the rest of the drama with a sense of dread. There are lots of sweet moments between the two leads, which really showcased their chemistry and compatibility. Which also made everything worse. I didn't like the way the characters changed towards the latter half of the drama; I feel like it was unnecessarily exaggerated and dumb.

The actors honestly did an exceptional job though, given this was their first big drama. They were a major part of the reason why I watched longer than I should have. They had such good chemistry and just matched each other very well. It was refreshing to see, because they gave off that young and new vibe. The rest of the cast were so-so. I feel like the atmosphere and their roles in the drama were heavier than the leads could bear, but they shouldered it through. Also, they only had two main tracks, but the music was very lovely.

If you're willing to stick it through, you'll really appreciate the aesthetics of the drama, the setup and costumes (I love their interpretation of the tribal costumes and colors, it's very pretty in this drama), but the actual plot will be a little tough to swallow.  I would probably watch this drama when you're feeling mentally prepared. And please don't assume tragic means everyone's going to die. Just watch it.

This drama felt really slow to me but I managed to finish it. It's a very typical plot about sisterhood and love triangles and how relationships become estranged as they mature. Overall, it's a pretty mature drama, played by older, veteran actors. It gives me similar vibes to The Legend of Dugu, especially with the sister bond. Of course, they're eventually pitted against each other as their respective husbands vie for power. 

I thought the plot was rather slow-paced and got tedious at some parts. It's a very put together story, however. Hats off to the cast and to the leads. As they're veterans, I expected a pretty good performance, which was well received. The only one I'm not a huge fan of is the main female lead. Her acting isn't as natural in here as it was in Princess Weiyoung. All in all, her acting isn't super stable despite being so well-known. The chemistry was lacking, probably on her part. The male leads, both first and second, did an exceptional job in my opinion. Unlike some historical dramas, they show the visible aging pretty well. Much of the drama happens over quite some time. 

I enjoyed how the sisterhood was portrayed and was developed into very complicated political relationships. The main love triangle was a mess, but understandably so. The political plot moved kind of slow, but it was alright. I liked that it focused on the bigger picture instead of starting with sisterhood then focusing on romance. Also, the music and costumes were well done. The production budget is probably upper-tier. 

I would probably recommend it. It's cohesive story and the acting was good, but it felt a little bland at times. The plot loses momentum pretty early on.

Here's another heroine story that made the list. This tells the story of our heroine who goes out into the world; it's an adventurous, coming-of-age drama. This plot made less sense to me in terms of set up, but it was alright. This drama kind of dragged on at several points; it builds up rather slowly with the journey of the female lead and her untimely encounters with different conspiracies and schemes going on. The villains in this story were kind of villainized in a dramatic way. There's definitely a number of plotting and scheming going on with loads of different masterminds. 

Although I liked the complexity of the running scam going on with the male lead, I feel like it wasn't connected to the mc's story very well. Can't believe they chalked everything up to (SPOILER) childhood friends. The cast has a decent range of actors; a chunk of which are veteran actors. I didn't notice anything remarkable about the acting. This drama is like a higher quality cliche drama, and the premise is nothing new really. However, there's actually not that many heroine dramas that involves the number of kingdoms and people as this drama does...so in a sense, it's kind of different I guess.

The main leads didn't have the kind of chemistry I'm used to seeing. It's a little antagonistic? The romance didn't appeal to me that much, in all honesty. I will say the acting from the leads were okay. The male lead...honestly has the sleazy frat boy expressions perfected. The whole plot of this drama didn't make much sense to me, but you kind of get used to seeing that everywhere. I was not a huge fan of the way this drama wrapped up, but the overall story wasn't terrible. 

I would probably consider this as a filler drama, but like high end. It's done decently with higher budget, but I would watch it for fun, not for the plot or the acting. 

Here's a kind of cliche detective drama with some revenge plot going on. This one was done moderately well, although the plot wasn't that engaging for me at first. It turned out nicely though. There are some politics going on that complicates the mc's backstory, but it mostly focuses on the life of our heroine. She basically works as a constable of sorts, going through some cases assigned to her. Unbeknownst to us, she's also looking into the truth behind the death of her family.

I think this was the drama that the male lead's acting finally came through, according to viewers (and me). There were a few scenes that surprised me, so I'll give him props for that. He's come a long way from Destiny of White Snake and a few others to name. Still a little stiff-faced sometimes. I'll say he had decently good chemistry with the female lead. Both actors aren't exactly new actors, but they're not old either. The female lead played her role pretty well; I think she's usually very good at picking the right roles for her. Her acting is very natural. The remaining cast was alright too. I don't think any of the side characters overshadowed the main leads. The romantic subplot for the leads developed nicely, given the male lead's cold shoulder character setting. How typical. 

The plot runs along smoothly, it drags on a little at some points, but it's okay. The overall atmosphere of the drama was mixed up between heavy and light, creating a nice balance. Nothing super dramatic happens, so the plot feels almost bland. I would identify this closely with a smaller production drama, but it's slightly better. There were some good music moments that I liked. 

It's a decent drama to watch, I would probably recommend it as a higher end filler. I wasn't super invested, but it was a nice, casual watch. 

This was a very nice, slow-paced, slice of life drama. It picks up towards the later end, but the beginning is more of a family drama. I thought it was pretty good; it's a very relaxed and chill drama. There's not much going on; maybe a little family politics and dramatics. I enjoy watching these when the other dramas get too tiring and intense.

The acting was pretty good from the two leads. I enjoyed their interactions with the side characters as well. There were a few standouts from the cast, but nothing that's worth commenting on. Overall, I think the cast was done very well. Slice of life can feel bland sometimes, but this had a different taste to it. Not only that, I noticed it felt very natural and almost more raw (?) in some scenes. I'm a fan of the female lead (more so than the male lead), especially for her character in this. Unfortunately, she's been pretty limited to this character setting for several dramas already. Still a fan though. 

I'm not very invested in slow-paced, slice of life dramas, but this one was really sweet. It has some great comedic scenes, so I would say this is a light, enjoyable watch. Probably something I would enjoy as a break from heavy dramas. It's definitely more mature and more thought out than the fun-to-watch, filler dramas with incoherent plots. I think this is considered a tasteful, light drama with mature elements (okay, but the male lead wasn't that mature). 

Would recommend. It's definitely more upscale than a small production drama. If anything it's less dramatic and more realistic in some ways, which I greatly appreciate. It's pretty clean cut, no exceedingly messy plots like the following few ranks.

This drama probably drives home the tragedy tag. Like, it's definitely on par with Eastern Palace (Goodbye My Princess). If not, even worse. This tells a "complicated" scheme between the pugilist world (cultivation world) and the imperial courts. It's political, there's also some revenge going on, and I'll be honest, I skipped a lot of the political parts. Those parts were straight up boring. The plot drags sometimes, but sometimes it runs along. 

I kind of liked the way the characters were introduced, and slowly (but surely) there's this ragtag band of characters formed. It's quite cute. The chemistry was nonexistent in my opinion, because the leads kept having trust issues and it was just too messy for it to be romantic anymore. If anything, the side characters were more entertaining. None of the acting stood out to me that much, like no one in particular outdid anyone else. The cast has a load of new actors sprinkled with a few older, veteran actors. 

The plot was a mess, but what's new? What came through though was the background music. My goodness, I loved the music. Like it made the tragedy scenes even worse. Totally changed the atmosphere of the drama. If only this was a larger scaled drama with better acting, my wish for another rising tragic drama would come true. I like the more or less realistic colors and settings though. I say realistic because as an example, the lighting is actually from candle light. It's not like they lit a candle and suddenly their entire face is lit up like there's a light from above. Of course, there are many other unrealistic things too. 

I mentioned this was a tragedy and I was not lying. The way everything unfolded at the end, you'll genuinely think the scriptwriters went nuts. There are some other dramas with worse tragedies, but this one sucked. Overused tropes and all. 

I have mixed feelings about recommending it, but it's somewhat underrated, so why not try it out?

This drama is a remake of the original with newer and younger actors. The original was a pretty well-known hero's journey/coming-of-age dramas. I thought this adaptation did pretty well. Obviously, it's lacking compared to the original, but it wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be.

The plot is kind of set up the same as it was before, and you can expect a lot of pugilistic politics, some court politics. I don't really care much for dramas with mixed politics between the pugilist world and the "normal world," because they tend to capitalize on that, and the actual plot is kind of forgotten. Okay, but the pace of this plot is pretty slow a lot of times. Like Sid the Sloth slow. Got real confusing half way. I will say the martial arts scene are very clean and classically choreographed. 

I didn't pay that much attention to the romantic subplot, although the leads (of the original) been characterized as a pretty iconic pairing. The male lead's character was annoying though; him and his trust issues, I swear. The female lead almost died like 20 times under his hand. In this version, I think the chemistry was just subpar. The acting from the leads wasn't too bad, I think. I'm not super familiar with the male lead, but I know I'm not that into the female lead's acting. She does pretty well in this drama though. The cast had a number of actors that did exceptionally well, so I'd say it's a fair mix. The focus of the plot isn't the leads though, it's actually a lot of people, so the screentime is distributed widely among the cast. Like, they don't even meet until ep 20 or something. Basically, the story isn't just about them. 

I have pretty neutral feelings for this drama. It has its goods and bads. I would give it a try, if you're ready for more convoluted politics between sects and story line. I will say, the premise is better than a lot of the dramas nowadays, since this was based on an older, famous original story. 

This drama is a romance/school life story in a military setting. I'm not really into this time period of dramas with the revolutions and Japanese. It's usually super fake and messy because *cough party has inferiority complex but anyways. I was attracted to the main leads; they have off the charts chemistry and they're both pretty well known even as new actors. And the female lead actually looks good dressed as a man, if anything she was more attractive dressed as a guy than a girl in this drama.

I personally didn't find the plot that engaging, but it was definitely there. I mostly just really enjoyed the interactions between the cast. The cast had really good chemistry with each other. And the main leads were hilarious together. This was one of those few dramas where the male lead acts like a frat boy/player to his heart's content. If you compare this character to the one he acts in Ancient Love Poetry, oh man. The female lead is also compatible with the male lead. 

I kind of skipped around, because it's more of a school life type of thing; the pace isn't fast and there's not that much going on. But I have to admit the acting pulled a lot of it together. And the overall casting was done well, so the main leads weren't the only ones standing out. This was kind of a brotherhood, making friends, coming-of-age drama. So I'm glad the other "brothers" in the brotherhood weren't neglected. I'll admit, I really just came for the comedy. 

I would consider this as a casual, fun watch. If anything, I watched it for the comedy and the acting. I went in with low expectations for the plot, because it's usually kind of messy in this time period. Still recommend though, especially if you want to see the male lead use the uno reverse card.

Truth be told, dramas with fantasy creatures and beasts aren't really my type. One reason being the CGI and another being how weird the plot becomes sometimes. In this case, it wasn't too bad. The drama doesn't stray too far from the novel and the casting was alright, so it turned out fine. This drama is a story of love and betrayal, obsession and letting go. 

While this is supposed to be more of a heroine story, it's actually pretty evenly split between the leads. We get perspectives on both sides. The only problem is misunderstandings and lies build up, so it's frustrating to the watcher since you know both of their thoughts.

Part I is mostly the setting up of the story and the rising action. I thought the plot in the beginning was moving at a decent pace. Towards the end of the Part I, it gets slowed down some. The plotline is kind of different from some other heroine stories, but there are a lot of the same cliches, especially with the villains. Ignoring the villains, the characters and their roles in the story are somewhat unique to the overall theme. It's a little angsty in the beginning but the more serious scenes come later. 

I thought the leads were pretty stable in their roles. The chemistry between the leads at the beginning were okay. There wasn't that much tension, because nothing serious has happened between them. The second male lead did pretty good. I haven't seen him around much, but he played his angsty, I'm-in-love-but-can't-show-it role quite well.  The drama doesn't do his relationship with his father justice, but it did give them a better ending, which I suppose is to help the watchers sympathize. I thought the novel version handled the circumstances better, but maybe it wouldn't help the second lead's case later in the story.

I thought the first part had a decent buildup. Probably most of the angst came from the way the male lead treated the female lead after he finds her. 

So, Part II was what everyone was waiting for. What happens to the female lead after she betrayed the male lead and is back in his hands. Part II was decent ending I suppose. The climax was a little disorienting and mildly anticlimactic. 

A lot of people discuss whether the main lead's relationship was justified by their actions, and honestly, I don't know. There's technically nothing too toxic, and the character settings were pretty solid. The male lead typically plays a brooding role, so his development into that wasn't surprising at all. The female lead also works between acting mature and childish. I didn't think they were super compatible, but overall, it wasn't too bad. Any second love interests didn't create too much of a disturbance in their love life, aside from the second male lead I guess. Thankfully, he's not a huge plot device, but he does make the watchers feel really bad for him. 

The music and the costume design was mid-tier I would say. I think the production budget was relatively mid to high. The music didn't really catch my attention much. The setting of the drama was a tad dark, which I enjoyed, since it's not super common. The ending of the drama was mildly rushed, but it had a proper closure I guess. All in all, it wasn't a tragic story. You'll probably just get annoyed with how many times people die and come back to life. At this rate, you shouldn't be surprised anymore. 

Overall, it's a decent, fantasy drama. Again, the CGI wasn't extremely impressive, but it wasn't unbearable. I would recommend it, but I don't think it was necessarily my favorite from either of the leads' dramas. I didn't care too much for this kind of plot to begin with. Particularly with the whump trope and the main leads trying to kill themselves. The drama itself isn't too bad though. Depends on your preference. 

To start, the novel is way better than this drama. It's annoying how much they've the the novel, but it wouldn't matter if you only watch the drama I guess. This drama is a mixture of the pugilist world and the royal family politics, centered around two people known for being the strongest individuals. And to start, this was so, very disappointing.

The plot moves at a slow to decent pace, but the closure isn't great. It's totally anticlimactic and rushed. The focus changed in the drama and some stuff became too simplified. Another aspect is the strategic plotting, which is rather lacking I would say. The main leads felt a little too OP, so there's not as much suspense or thrill. But it feels great watching them win and live up to their name. I'm super disappointed about the villains though. The main villain was actually a solid good guy in the book. 

The acting was a bit miserable from the male lead in my opinion. He was stiff; it's obvious that he's acting. I wish he was a little more natural and distinct between the two characters he played. The female lead was pretty good, although I'm not sure the role is suitable for her. But she's gotten better compared to previous roles. They had some chemistry, but it felt like a sibling-type chemistry to me. At least, both characters are likeable and mature. Overall, everything about the drama was sort of disappointing (from a novel reader's perspective), but mostly passable. 

The budget of the production is probably medium. I think it's slightly better than a filler drama, but among the better wuxia dramas, this is considered child's play. I wouldn't exactly recommend it, but it's not horrible, it's just lacking and mediocre despite the hype. It's not super emotional or heavy, but the ending does escalate. It really deserved better, but bottom line, it's still decently okay. It's more or less clean. 

Another heroine story, but this one starts off differently (the female lead isn't some prestigious princess). I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of this drama, but some parts of it were interesting. There is kind of a tragic story, so be prepared for dramatic things to take place. The plot isn't developed that well, it's also somewhat slow-paced. The plot never made sense to me, and I just didn't bother understanding it.

My biggest issue with this drama is that the main leads obviously didn't have any sort of chemistry and then suddenly there's a romance subplot going. It just felt really forced. The acting wasn't great either despite the leads being veteran actors. I honestly still had zero attachments to the female lead and male lead by the end of the drama. The second male lead...oh man. He was probably the highlight of the entire drama. They really did him dirty though, no joke. His story was cliche, but it definitely carried some of the show. I didn't like how the ending for his story developed, but it was somewhat (?) logical. Okay, but he's basically one of the only reasons I watched this drama as long as I did.

The interesting parts were the side stories/back stories. Up to one point, it got super intense and heart-wrenching and everything just collapsed. I feel like they could've done a much better job of developing the villains and the characters. In a general sense, this drama was lacking in a lot of things, but the premise still hooks you so you keep watching it. This drama was kind of left on a cliffhanger, so many are still waiting for the second season, but alas their pleas have not been heard.

Not the best, but if you're curious why it's rated highly, try it out. It just didn't hold the same appeal to me, but hey I still watched most of it. 

Here lies the grave of another reverse harem drama. Despite the ending, this drama was all sorts of tragedies, involving different men. It's a solid midsized production about an amnesiac princess who gets married off to another kingdom. It sounds super cliche, but it gets complicated real fast. The pacing and momentum for the first half of the drama was very good, leaving no room for filler scenes. The second half slows down, because a lot of things are revealed.

The plot also starts off focused more on romance, but it becomes political quickly. There are heaps and heaps of misunderstandings and complications in this drama. I enjoyed it more than expected. The acting wasn't too bad for a relatively newer cast. The first male lead did a rather good job, he's improved a lot from Empress of China. The second male lead is already pretty experienced, you can also find him in Legend of Xiao Chuo. I've never really seen the female lead in historical, but she did pretty decent. The remaining cast was pretty good. 

What was interesting about this drama was probably the plot. It's definitely a tragedy and there's a big plot twist. Just make sure you don't read the comments. The cast had good chemistry with each other, but I didn't really like the villains. Again, they were too obvious from the start. I will say everyone else is morally gray, raising a lot of controversy about which guy is better for the girl. The main cast all had flaws in their characters, which I appreciate. They more or less fleshed out the important characters.

I would recommend because it's not too difficult to understand despite being messy. It doesn't end in a tragedy, but let's just say there are a lot of trials and tribulations. It's more intense than a filler, but it's not really a heavy, mature drama. It's just really dramatic and mildly unpolished. 

This is purely a matter of preference, but I did not like this drama. It did receive pretty high reviews though, so I'll give some insight. This is a romance story with its trials and tribulations, revolving around a girl who seems less than special, but ends up pretty important. Our main guy is some Prince Charming, but tragedy ensues, and they're no longer lovey-dovey. Long story short, it's a coming-of-age and unraveling the mc's hidden past kind of story with tragic romance.

I really, really disliked the cutesy character the female lead played, but honestly it's just me. Ignoring the female lead's character, the rest of the drama wasn't too bad. I didn't really feel the chemistry between the male leads that much, they were slightly more compatible than like Princess Agents (it wasn't dry and hapless). The actors in this drama weren't that bad or anything, I just largely disliked some of the characters' personalities. Shout out to the second male lead though; this was his first major drama and his popularity boosted a lot afterwards. He definitely stood out to me more in terms of acting from the rest of the cast. 

The plot isn't terribly slow, it moves along moderately. The atmosphere of this drama is kind of lighthearted and childish (?). I wasn't that invested in the plot. It's a pretty clean, standard plot so there wasn't anything to dislike other than the cliches. The villains in here were rather petty, not much character development for them which was kind of disappointing. The production quality is quite high actually, the set up and even the CGI (still lowkey sucked, but we ignore that). The music was pretty good--I think that helped me like the drama a little more. 

I would give this drama a shot, because there are a lot of rave reviews about this one. But it'll only ever be filler to me, sorry.

So, unfortunately, I'm going to get bashed for saying this, but I feel like this drama was overrated. I much preferred the donghua (Chinese word for anime). I just felt like the drama didn't live up to the novel (yes, there's a novel too) or the anime's quality. I didn't like the way they changed the plot in this drama; I preferred the anime version's plotline. It's a cultivation, rebirth story with our male mc as he investigates the events of his past, and rectifies his image as the world's former enemy.

I genuinely love this plot so much. It's a little cliche in the beginning, but it branches out and becomes more convoluted. The best part is that this is an antihero story done incredibly well for such a short timeline (referring to the anime here). Don't we all love chaotic good mcs? The plot is fast-paced and there are lots of flashbacks/connections. Everything ties together which I enjoy seeing. I didn't like how they dramatized the villains though. Originally, they were meant to be more lawful evil like abuse of power/tyranny, but in this drama they made it so dramatic ugh. I feel like the gray morality of good and evil was better constructed in the anime/novel. The drama made it too simple and straightfoward. So, they basically ruined some of the main themes and dynamics running in the novel.

This is a small production drama. The mc did a good job, better than the second lead (from Legend of Fei, he's so so). I would say the mc has some potential, but then it feels overrated when you see him in Joy of Life or Douluo Continent. Also, nearly the entire cast is very, very new. This would be their first bigger/major drama. 

I feel mutual on recommendation, but if you do watch, make sure you watch the anime too. This was meant to be a heavier drama, but they made it more lighthearted and comedic (which isn't bad, it just sets a different tone). It offers a slightly different/unique perspective compared to the anime (and it's funnier).

This drama is a small production drama, but it's done relatively well. This is more of a dark, forbidden romance story. You get to watch the heroine struggle to the top while sticking to her morals. Something that I liked about this drama was the world building. It's a city of female assassins and their props are pretty cool. I thought it was interesting that their umbrellas kept track of their kill count. This drama is a moderately shorter drama, with less developed characters and plot, but it was pretty alright. 

There's something about this female lead that I liked, either her acting or the way she carries herself. The romance was alright, nothing notable in my opinion. The male lead didn't really stand out to me, and their chemistry felt a little stale. In general, the acting was okay; there's a good mix of newer actors in this drama. The remaining of the cast didn't really catch my eye. The overall production quality isn't the highest, but I think this drama did better than most would anticipate. 

The atmosphere of this drama is kind of dark and heavy, there aren't a lot (if any) lighthearted moments to it, but the premise of the plot is somewhat interesting. I didn't feel too attached to any of the characters or plot, but that might just be me. They weren't fleshed out very well. I know the original manuscript was more intense and detailed, or in other words, explicit. But we're spared from that so enjoy this not-as-disturbing show. The music fit the drama very well though.

I would consider this as a short, filler drama to watch. I enjoyed the dark aesthetics to this drama without all of the heavy plotting and schemes you would expect from a drama of this atmosphere. It's a rather simple story. 

All things considered, I think this was an okay wuxia drama. It's a hero's story seeking revenge for his master, who was betrayed by the now Emperor and Empress. There's a plot twist in this story later, which was a nice touch, but easy to guess. It's a pretty standard storyline though. The plot is kind of slow here and there, but it picks up later.

I thought the acting was quite average. The male lead doesn't usually play historical roles, so watching this was kind of interesting. The female lead is a favorite of mine (she was the lead in Royal Nirvana as well), but her character doesn't have much depth in this story. Her acting also was a little subpar in here. There's not too much romance going on, not even chemistry. It's more focused on vengeance and the court people trying to figure out who this new guy is (the mc). He shows off his incredible talents and at the same time there are these murders going on as part of the revenge quest. Anyways, the premise is alright. 

This is a small to midsize production. The cast was pretty good for the most part. Most of them are more or less experienced actors, al though I wouldn't consider them as veterans. I didn't notice anything remarkable about the music or costumes, etc. The villains in the story are pretty obvious from the start so their identities weren't really used as plot devices. Thankfully, this drama is only 34 episodes. 

I think it's a decent filler drama, particularly for the cultivation/wuxia genre. It's not so much about romance though, so it probably pales in comparison to Love and Redemption to some people. This is slightly more similar to Fights Break Sphere in terms of leveling up and an OP mc, but there's a plot twist to it and it's also much more mature. 

This drama didn't feel all that special to me. It's a forbidden romance story with some time manipulation and magic/sorcery involved. I think the premise was alright, it's quite new as China isn't huge on witch tropes. This was a moderately well-paced drama, but the plot wasn't super engaging to me. You basically just watch everything unfold, knowing the conflicts and main antagonists. 

This plot wasn't that messy, which was surprising. What kind of threw me off was the romance plot between the main leads though. The chemistry was kind of there, but I felt like the female lead's acting was lacking compared to the male lead's. It just feels kind of placid, like there's not a noticeable change in her character as she fell in love, etc. Also, knowing the actress--she usually plays this same character role, it doesn't feel like a character to me anymore. The male lead did pretty alright; his acting is usually pretty good. The rest of the cast wasn't bad either, I spotted a few characters that I liked more than I thought I would. You may recognize a few from more popular dramas as second or third leads. I also appreciate the character consistency especially with time travel/alternate universe tropes.

The villain/conflict of the story was kind of boring, but then, this isn't a super thought out, heavy drama. The political aspect of it was present, but it was typical, yet it keeps you interested for the most part. The atmosphere of the drama actually felt mildly dark (you can also tell by the color tones of the drama), which was intriguing. The production quality is decently done, certainly not too low. The CGI wasn't incorrigible for the most part. I also liked the music.

Overall, I didn't feel too much for this drama. It's kind of a shallow romance story and the other subplots don't progress much either aside from the politics. The concept was interesting though.  I would consider this as a filler drama, if you're binging.

This another of my lightweight, small production dramas. I actually quite liked this one; it's not focused too heavily on romance. The romance in this drama is more of a subplot. This drama is about a crossdressing heroine who works as a detective and is seeking to overturn a case/bring justice to her people. 

The plot is pretty standard, clear cut. I really enjoyed the fact that there isn't any love triangle or complicated relationships going on. Some cringe moments were included, but it's a small production so I ignored it. The plot isn't all that intense, just some investigating cases. I think the enjoyable part about this drama was the friendship theme they had going. It was kind of cute. Overall, the plot wasn't worth much and definitely falls short to dramas like Ancient Detective, but it was sufficient in its own way. There was at least a backstory going on.

The male lead was a pretty alright actor, he was quite mature and natural despite this being his first major drama. I look forward to seeing him in future dramas. Same goes for the female lead, although her acting was more awkward and stiffer. It wasn't terrible though; I liked their chemistry. The male lead definitely earned a good chunk of that credit. The rest of the cast was okay, but pretty much all of them are newer actors. It's not fast-paced or intense, just a relaxed kind of plot development. Character development also isn't really noticeable. 

I would recommend watching this in between heavier, longer dramas. It has the same effect as the other small production dramas, but this one is slightly (?) more mature. There's not as much comedy in this as the others. It's very similar to the Imperial Coroner in that aspect, but the chemistry is better between the cast.

This is another small production drama that caught my eye. I thought it was okay. The story is about a female coroner who examines dead bodies, basically like a forensic scientist. Of course, she catches the prince's fancy. Overall, it's not as tacky and cliche as you think. The premise is kind of like a detective story, but there are a lot of "individual cases" that are all connected to each other to make the plot flow. 

I think the plot moved along decently, I just didn't feel that interested in it. It's investigating cases, but I will say it's a little different from the typical. I liked the way they revealed the cases, it sounded so authentic and realistic. It's quite logical and reasonable if you don't think too hard about it. You actually might be entertained by it, all the forensics and scientific explanations they had back in the day. Not sure how accurate it is, but it sounded good. The plot was very stable with several cases back to back, but it didn't seem to have too much of a backstory like Ancient Detectives did. It had a little more romance going on, so some scenes were spent on that.

There wasn't much chemistry going on between the leads and the cast felt mediocre to me. I will give them some credit though, since pretty much the entire cast are new actors. The production quality of this drama wasn't high, but they did pretty well. I have to say the construct of the story was interesting, it just got a little repetitive. I didn't notice any spectacular acting, but they weren't terrible either. The male lead always seemed to have the same movements and expression. The female lead was pretty meh. Their chemistry definitely fell flat for me. But of course, it's the subplot or whatever. 

It's a nice, casual watch. I wasn't that engaged in it, but it started off nicely. There's been high praises for their logic and methodical examinations of the cases though, if you're into serious detective stuff. 

This was a fun, small production drama I decided to watch after watching depressing dramas. It's a lighthearted, comedic drama, but the plot is really really cliché. It's a story of the mc getting married into a general's house, who supposedly kills all of his wives (which is normal of course, no one is wondering why they found a dead body in the well after his wedding night). And of course, he turns out to be a real handsome sweetheart. Don't they all. 

I was expecting more cringey acting, but it wasn't as bad (my tolerance threshold has probably gotten higher). The two leads have good chemistry and the scenes are pretty funny. The female lead was refreshing; she doesn't make you super annoyed within the first few episodes acting cute. The plot doesn't really exist, but like, who watches these for the plot? Both actors are relatively new; they're okay in terms of acting. I think they were well suited for their roles in this drama. 

I picked this up as a relaxing, filler drama. It definitely pales in comparison to Romance of Tiger and Rose, but I found it relatively enjoyable all the same. I don't watch too many of these comedic small production dramas because I prefer heavier ones, so I can't tell if this is considered one of the better cliché dramas. I didn't really finish the drama though. I skipped through it just to enjoy some comedic moments. The story, thankfully isn't too long, and doesn't drag much. It's pretty much about the life of a general's wife.

Would recommend if you're bored and just want something light to watch.

This drama is a fantasy, forbidden romance story. So this drama got super popular when it was released, and I wasn't that interested. I gave it a shot after hearing about the acting. I can vouch for the male lead's acting. He's probably the only one in this drama that I liked. His acting had a subtleness to it, some sort of delicate touch. You can definitely see the emotions on his face/in his eyes with minimal expression which is pretty hard to master given the number of stone-faced male leads you'll see in this industry. I think this is his first drama that actually made him popular, despite him acting for so long. 

I can't speak for the female lead though. I didn't think she was all that. Her acting aside, I couldn't handle her character's logic. Their chemistry was also kind of a mess, but mostly because of the way their dynamics (and her character settings) were set up. Common sense was driving under influence or something. And the villains were basically characters the scriptwriters tried to make out to be more interesting, but it didn't work. I will say, some of the relationship dynamics weren't as bad as they're cut to be like there were some toxic relationships that I didn't expect to develop.

The plot wasn't really pretty. I didn't like the premise of the story or the worldbuilding. The production quality of this drama isn't that high (moderate maybe?), so I didn't expect much. Also, the remaining cast didn't stand out to me at all. Maybe because they were all kind of new? I mean not really. Another thing was that I felt like the overall theme/message delivered wasn't really worth my investing time in this drama. 

I wouldn't say I would recommend it, but it's a drama to consider as a filler. It's also rated pretty highly, so it's really a matter of preference. 

This was an exhaustive drama to watch. It's a high quality and large production drama. This is a very extensive drama with a complicated plot. I was confused for the first few episodes of this drama. There really isn't a suitable plot summary for this drama, because it's almost like a documentary of a fantasy world. It records the different tribes and kingdoms' rise and falls. All of this is centered around some prophecy. 

The plot was too long and slow in my opinion. They had a lot of redundant and plot devices that should have been cut out. It's heavily political and superstitious based on the setting of the world. The acting was pretty good from the cast. There are a lot of veteran actors in the cast, but not everyone. I didn't really see this as a romance drama, so I didn't pay much attention to the remaining embers of romance. There's not much chemistry to speak of. 

I quite liked the atmosphere of this drama. It feels very rugged and unpolished, but it's actually a very high production drama. The ruggedness of the drama feels very real, more so than the aesthetic teen dramas. The setting and costumes are so lavish that it feels over dramatic. Also, basically none of the cast dubbed their voices, even the ones from Taiwan. This is definitely a heavy, mature drama despite the story line. 

I would recommend if you're already immersed in drama politics. It's not terribly difficult to understand; it's just that there are a lot of people and a lot of things going on at the same time. It's hard to keep track of everything, especially since there are three main characters in here. The plot also overlaps extensively over a long period of time, which makes it more confusing.

This is one of the most iconic dramas of that time. It's pretty old and there's been a million adaptions on this story already, but I don't care if it's trashy. This was iconic when I was younger. It's another pugilist sects story, but it involves some more family drama. It's a coming-of-age story with our male mc and his growing up in the martial arts world. Side note: his love interest is his master, which is a trope you will see again and again in Chinese dramas (like Ancient Love Poetry and Journey of the Flower).

Looking back, it's super cliche, but that's okay. It kind of set the precedent for this category. I thought the acting was alright. The female lead's acting was average in my opinion. She's a very popular movie actress now though; you may recognize her from the the live adaptation of Mulan. This drama was filmed when she was pretty young though. The male lead's acting was pretty good, it feels more natural than most younger actors today. But you don't see him as much anymore. There are a lot of veteran actors in the cast so it's definitely more put together than many of the more recent dramas. 

I remember thinking how cool all the martial arts stuff was. It looks like child play nowadays from the amount of those dramas they produce, but this had its own elements. This is also one of the adaptations of a very traditional story. It's a little more mature than the typical, but it isn't a super heavy drama. 

I would recommend for comparison with the newer dramas. Treat the classics with respect, but also appreciate how much martial art dramas have changed. I preferred the older dramas and movies (like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, really famous movie) with martial arts, because there weren't a bunch of random plot devices messing it up. 

This drama is kind of older on my list, but I thought it was worth mentioning. I genuinely don't remember much of this drama, but I'll do my best. It's one of the earlier ones I watched. It's a court drama, so there's going to be lots of politics and harem drama. 

I remember I didn't care much for the romantic subplot. The music wasn't bad, it's pretty much nostalgia now. I'm not super into the female lead's acting, but I know I remember the second male lead well. The first male lead wasn't bad either. The cast are all veteran actors, so you could say this is more of an adult drama. Interesting fact: one of the supporting roles is the now bigshot female lead in Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. Sadly, the politics and harem play in this drama aren't really anything different from other dynasty drama. There are some better ones, but this one was kind of iconic at the time. 

The quality of this drama was pretty high at the time though. I would say it's a solid court drama. The later court dramas often get too dramatized and exaggerated to hold audience retention. I think this one was constructed in a standard way of setting up plot. However, there are also some older comparable dramas. It depends on the dynasty period and which important figures are focused on. The music was pretty alright, I still remember one of their theme songs.

I would probably recommend as a later drama to watch, just to compare the older and newer versions of court dramas. It doesn't compare in terms of current production quality, but it will really show you the basis for the historical court and harem cliches.

Here's a smaller budget drama that was kind of done better than expected. I didn't really like the worldbuilding and setting that much, but the acting and the premise more or less came through. This is another revenge drama, but it's more entertaining than the typical because it involves body swapping. The leads are also from Arsenal Military Academy. I think this was one of their first major dramas (that actually got popular), so props to their acting.

The plot was sooo messy, but the main actors carried through playing their roles. I give my awards to the female lead, she was exceptional in this drama. I liked how she portrays her character; she actually gives off the intimidating aura, not like she's trying hard to be scary. This might be the only drama where the director wanted this type of female role and I think the female lead filled the role decently. I will say though, she's lowkey dramatic in a lot of her dramas. So sometimes it feels like it's overdone. I kind of ignored it. The second female lead also did a remarkable job maintaining two identities. I think the male lead was pretty good in here, showed off very nice chemistry with the female lead. But she stole the show for sure. The remaining cast was so-so; most of them are pretty new.

I pretty much watched this for entertainment; I wasn't expecting too much. The music was meh, and the overall atmosphere was...weird. I don't know how to describe it. There were some comedic instances, but this drama isn't super lighthearted or heavy. It's a decent mix. I will say the atmosphere and mood is meant to be kind of dark. I think the chemistry between the leads and the acting helped me appreciate this drama a little more. 

I would watch this as a filler drama, mostly for fun. It doesn't make sense a lot of times, but it's manageable. It also has an interesting concept, so I'd give it a shot.

This drama was okay at the time. It's about about a girl who grew up in a family with two other sisters. I don't think I've seen a historical drama with such an emphasis on sisterhood as this one (actually, Legend of Xiao Chuo). Unfortunately, of course, their sisterhood faces challenges as they are each dealing with different situations (and men). It's a rather complicated, political story, and kind of sad to watch as everyone plots against each other. They were pretty protective of each other though, which is rare to see in Chinese dramas.

I thought the acting was alright. Pretty much all of the cast was new to me, but they're not really new to acting. Most of them are probably veterans (not like super famous, but veterans still), I just missed their dramas by happenchance. The cast's dynamics with each other were alright. I just didn't like how bloody messy the plot was and how it twisted all of their stories. 

The plot isn't super fast-paced. I would say the overall atmosphere of the drama was progressively gets darker as reality hits the female lead. She's one of those classic innocent, naive girls turned dark. Naturally, she's still "good," she's just trying to survive (the old excuse in every imperial harem politics drama). Since it's mostly about the girls, I don't see that much chemistry between the leads unfortunately. The male leads didn't really stand out to me, but they were also not really the main storyline, so it's fine. 

It's an average historical drama. It's more or less mature at that too. I would say the production quality isn't terribly high, but they worked decently together with the drama. I would say this is a somewhat heavier filler drama. I might've dropped a little past halfway. It wasn't as engaging as I'd liked it to be. I also didn't like the way their characters developed. 

This drama was not really my cup of tea. And my dislike for it stems from the female lead's acting. Everything else about the drama was pretty good honestly. It's an enemies to lovers kind of romance story. The heroine is a brilliant, mastermind of military strategy and she goes up against the unparalleled god of war. This drama is based on a novel and they actually follow the novel quite well, so the plot wasn't splattered everywhere. 

I think they were trying to portray a "match made in heaven" couple, but it fell a little flat for me. The male lead's acting wasn't bad, but I feel like he wasn't compatible with the female lead. The female lead's acting did not sit well with me. She looked pretty I guess, which, if you're fine with just watching a pretty girl, it's not a bad drama. The rest of the cast didn't stand out to me that much. There were honestly more cliche moments in this than I could care for, like the dynamics of the relationship made it even more awkward. 

To reiterate, the plot was not bad actually. It made sense for the most part and the pacing was decent. But some of the acting ruined whatever was salvageable for me.  And frankly, I didn't feel the chemistry that much. If anything, it was the fruit of the male lead's efforts. He's more or less a veteran actor. The production quality isn't terrible and I wasn't super into the music. It's not a heavy drama, but they make it to be that way. It just didn't feel very realistically heavy and mature. The tone/atmosphere is kind of in between light and dark. 

If you find the acting okay, then why not? It's not the worst drama I've ever seen, just not a favorite.

This drama has a kind of interesting premise to it. I can't really narrow down into a category. It's basically about our male mc who is on the verge of dying and wants to chill, but he gets dragged into some kind of conspiracy because of his former identity, and at the same time is trying to atone for his past mistakes.  The plot is more or less fast paced, but it drags somewhere in the middle. 

There's no romance involved, mostly just "brotherhood" and friendships. I thought the acting was done very nicely by the leads. Particularly the second lead. He's really good at irritating the first lead, which provides material for like 90% of the comedic section. And our mc is wonderful at deflecting them. Our mc has also improved greatly from Legend of Yunxi (remember, he was that stiff-faced duke?). His acting is a lot more natural and relaxed here. The remaining cast members were alright, most of them are new/young actors. 

The storyline was "nice," but the world building and the character settings felt too weird to me. Not sure how much of the backstory I actually understood, if I'm being honest. The plot got kind of messy at one point, but it doesn't start off that way. This is a small production drama, but I thought it was done slightly better than expected. Personally, I didn't find it that riveting. This drama has a darker tone to it, but there were lots of comedic moments (mostly our second lead cracking dumb jokes and ruining the mc's day). There are some heavy backstories and character developments, but it wasn't well interwoven with the plot so it felt kind of separate.

I would probably recommend this as a filler drama. It has some heavier elements in it that adds on some maturity to it. 

This is another of my older dramas on the list. This is also a court drama with a bunch of politics and romance subplot. I personally thought it was way too dramatic and far-fetched, but it's a pretty standard representation of the court dramas revolving around women. How they worked their way up to the top, be it the empress or queen. 

I wasn't super invested in this drama, but I felt like it was kind of a classic. It's a really standard historical drama with all the harem politics. But the acting was subpar honestly. And the romance plot was soooo messed up. At one point, I honestly had an issue with everyone's relationships with each other. And the way the story develops, the ending, was such trash. I would say they hit the stereotypical historical drama cliches pretty well in this one. 

The cast are all pretty much veteran actors though. It felt weird watching the female lead act super young and cute, which was a turn off. She grows out of it quickly, thankfully. The male leads are pretty well known along with the female lead, but I just didn't like their characters. This drama had a more mature atmosphere, given the people in it were older adults. But I had a hard time watching them act innocent and young. There was a number of unnatural acting moments in there for sure. I remember the music though, it was pretty good (one of the theme songs?)

I would only recommend this if you want to see how harem court dramas turn out to be back then. I don't think it was that bad at the time, but now it's definitely cringy. 

This drama is very much comedic and particular. A lot of the cast from Joy of Life showed up in this drama, but the plot and premise is a little different. Where Joy of Life was more political, this was more comedic. Both do involve "time traveling" however. 

The plot was okay up until the second quarter, and then things got a little busy. I wasn't super invested in the plot and considered this a filler from the start. The acting was pretty good. The male lead was quite funny; he's very well suited for his role. I'm not sure how he would do in other roles though. It may be because he's a comedian as well. The female lead was alright. I haven't seen too much of her acting, but it's nothing super impressive. I can't say they have that much chemistry, because it wasn't very focused on romance. Or at least, the vibes they gave off didn't fit that subplot.

Overall, I thought the casting was good. Most of them were from Joy of Life, so it was a little weird seeing everyone in different roles. Namely, the fact that the two leads played brother and sister in Joy of Life, and in this, they're married. Just something to note, if you find that uncomfortable. Despite this, there's no need to compare the two dramas. They have different target audiences and different storylines. I will admit, I didn't finish this drama. It may be that it's more slice of life with lots of comedy, but I wasn't hooked or anything.

The quality of the production was pretty mid-tier. The plot got messier towards the end, and the overall feeling I got from it was so-so. I would consider this as a light filler. It was pretty entertaining here and there, but it wasn't extremely memorable in my opinion.

To start, this will be a very, very confusing watch if you don't know that this involves the following wuxia tropes: reincarnation, doppelgangers (mother/daughter), complicated family history, and waiting 100 years for your beloved. You can probably guess this was a very messy plot and the mismatched subtitles on YouTube won't help. It's another heroine story stacked with wuxia tropes and cliches. 

It's a coming-of-age story about our female lead, and of course it becomes complicated with people dying. This is mostly set in the pugilist/jianghu world, so the court politics is kind of in the background. There's also lowkey a harem of boys. I wasn't super attracted to the plot development honestly. And what's funny is that in the novel, the characters are crazier and weirder, but the drama toned it down to make it normal. 

The acting was okay from the cast, but I didn't understand the relationship dynamics between the leads. Yes, the male lead had been pining for the female lead since forever ago, but it still feels off when they're together. They have some sweet moments though. The female lead's acting here is still unpolished, and there seems to be remnants of her character from Eternal Love. I didn't dare to watch The King's Woman with her as lead after this one, because I think her subsequent roles were not stable at all. The male lead's acting was pretty good actually; he just didn't look super compatible with the female lead. And their chemistry was pretty lacking until later in the story. 

The only thing about this drama that surpasses many dramas is the music. The music was done super well, but it feels a little dramatic in some scenes. Still, they're only inferior to like two dramas on this list in terms of music. The atmosphere of the drama is kind of dark overall. I would say this is a low to midsize production. I feel pretty neutral about this drama, so it's up to you. It's a slightly upscale filler.

This drama was kind of a cute watch. I wasn't that attracted to it, because the premise of the story wasn't all that to me. The character settings are a little different from the typical, but it has that same feel of rags-to-riches trope in it. In other words, it's cliche in a lot of ways.

It's not exactly a small production drama, but it's definitely nothing serious. I thought the acting was quite good from the female and male leads. The overall casting was meh; no one caught my eye in particular aside from the leads. I think both have pretty natural acting, and it worked well with this drama. Their dynamics were pretty childish and sometimes strange (based on how the plot developed), but their chemistry was good. 

Another thing to note: the range of actors aren't exactly new, but they're not veterans for sure.  The actress is actually pretty well known, you'll see her show up in as early as Legend of Condor Heroes (2008) with the male lead from Nirvana in Fire S1. If anything, the male lead in here is a relatively younger/newer actor. He's pretty good actually; he's shown up in a few of the bigger productions as supporting characters like Eternal Love, The Flame's Daughter, and the King's Woman (not on my list). 

I think this was a kind of comedic drama, so it has a pretty casual atmosphere. You can tell by the way of the scenes how there isn't too much background music. The villains weren't well-developed of course, but that's to be expected. To put it in a nicer way, the concept is kind of new in a weird way (I say weird because it didn't make sense at some parts), but another way of saying it, is that it's somewhat unpolished and messy. I feel like some parts were meant to be serious, but it didn't come out that way and the directors just let it be. Which was fine too I guess. 

It's a pretty basic filler drama. Watch it when you need something that doesn't make sense.

I didn't really care much for this drama. It's a heroine story who is a swordsman and she goes out to experience some trials. This drama was cool and all with the martial arts, but the plot was rather bland. It was just fighting between the good and evil sects. The villains fell so flat. 

And you know what else fell flat? The romance. It was one of those teasing romantic tropes, but I couldn't watch it. It was drier than the Sahara desert. I feel like the female lead's acting wasn't helping at all. And the male lead's acting felt kind of forced at times. His personality did not come out very naturally. The remaining of the cast wasn't great either. No one stood out to me at least. I actually felt kind of disappointed in the female lead, because she is very well known and presumably for her acting.  The overall production quality is like mid to high quality. The drama actually has a pretty high budget cost, but I wasn't particularly attracted. Despite that, it's still considered a filler drama on my list. 

The pace of this drama was somewhat slow, and the premise of the story is pretty typical. It's just the discord between the pugilistic sects, looking for ways to sabotage each other. The plot didn't have anything substantial to hold it up, so it just felt like one of those dramas where the mc is leveling up on their skills and crime-fighting with a band of friends. I think the only thing that was nice was that there wasn't a damsel in distress. Like, the male lead was literally more impaired than the female lead. They had to make him "cool" in another way though. 

I didn't find it that entertaining. So watch at your own risk.

I'll start off by saying this is one of my lesser favorites of male mc dramas. The story is about a young man who rises to power after discovering a controversial artifact/weapon. It's basically battling between good and evil, and mastering it. The plot works at a moderate pace, like the typical leveling up mc drama. 

I didn't like it that much because the main lead's acting was really mediocre. Honestly, you can't tell much improvement from his earlier dramas like Swords of Legends (which was a sucky drama, but he doesn't have an excuse for this one). The cast was pretty so-so. Nothing about this drama really stood out to me. The production quality wasn't that high. I only appreciate the fact that this was a male main character. But there are obviously much better ones out there. The romance subplot didn't come to fruition in my opinion. I didn't see much chemistry between the leads. 

I will say, I liked the second male lead and his dynamic with the male lead. He's an interesting contrast as a foil to the main character, because he's so upright (another cliche in pugilist settings). I also enjoyed the conflict developed around the second male lead; personally the struggles of the mc didn't speak to me. Unfortunately, this drama doesn't delve too deeply on these matters; they're too busy trying to build the plot bridge, which was barely holding up to begin with.

There were some twists in there, but nothing that you wouldn't expect from this kind of drama. This straight up just had the vibes of leveling up and nothing else matters plot. The tone of this drama is kind of dark (as it alludes the mc's character development), but it's only mildly mature/heavy in my opinion.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but it's a standard hero's journey plot. I would watch it as a filler probably. 

This is a fantasy drama with a school setting revolving around a male mc. It's a coming-of-age, adventure, hero's journey kind of story, as they all are with the guys. The plot starts off okay, and then it spirals into a mess. It's also one of those level-up plots where you just see the mc get stronger and better, etc. I think this was set at a decent pace.

The cast had a mix of okay actors and most of them are pretty young/new, so I didn't judge too harshly. This drama had a decently big cast, so lots of subplots and stories going on. I thought the villains were written rather shallow, but given the lack of politics in this, I guess it was fine. At least there was more than one villain. This was one of the male lead's earlier dramas so he still looks very boyish (compared to The Long Ballad). But his acting stills were already pretty solid in this drama. The chemistry wasn't all that between the leads, but I feel like it was meant to be a backdrop anyway. Honestly, would be fine if they did away with it completely.

The plot was messy, but the premise was kind of interesting. The ending was not the best, but they're supposed to be coming out with a second season (but where is it?). It's still a chill, fun watch because lots of things are happening, and it certainly helped this drama's world building. The atmosphere is bordering dark because of the self-conflict the mc has, but there are a few rare moments of comedy. 

I don't have the highest opinion of this drama, since it's a pretty typical teen drama. It explores all of the band of main characters and their individual problems. Of course, friendship is a tag in this. It's an okay watch if you want to get an idea of how Chinese dramas construct their fantasy worlds. 

This is a love triangle heroine story that tells about a girl who grew up in the desert tribes, but makes it to the capital. It's mostly about how she establishes footing in the capital and her romantic liaisons with these two noblemen. The pace of the drama was rather slow in my opinion, despite being only 35 episodes. 

I'm not a huge fan of the female lead in here. Her acting has always been kind of off. It feels kind of perfunctory, similar to her role in Lost Love in Times. The main and second male leads are very well known for their acting. They did pretty good in this drama, I would say. I just wasn't a huge fan of their roles in general. Overall, I didn't feel much chemistry between the leads either. It felt super stifled for some reason. The cast isn't bad; I just don't really like the female lead in here. 

The plot dragged for me. It's a pretty standard, typical plot. Kind of like country girl surviving in a big city with her wits and charm. The production quality of this drama is mid to high. It feels lower, but it's mostly because this drama came out awhile back. There's some politics involved on the down low, as you would see in most historical dramas. I didn't find it all that intriguing.  The ending is also pretty typical. 

I would say this is a filler drama. It's slightly older, so there may be some qualities of the drama that are worth comparing to the recent ones. I wasn't super invested in the story or the actors; pretty sure I dropped it halfway. 

This drama is about the clashing between the high end of society and the low end of society and basically, starring business tycoon and our heroine as a mob boss. Pretty interesting premise, right? Well...it basically is another trashy romance story.

I wouldn't consider this a very serious, heavy drama. It's a small production drama with a mediocre plot (kind of messy) and characters. The acting wasn't bad; I thought the actress a little dramatic though. But she had the boyish energy down; you can also see that from her other dramas like Arsenal Military Academy. I also liked the male lead's servant--he was funny guy. He's also pretty new, so wanted to draw a little attention to him. 

All in all, the acting was pretty average. The male lead didn't really stand out to me. Like, I've seen him in a pretty decent/good dramas (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms/Eternal Love, Legend of Fuyao, Ancient Love Poetry, to name a few), but he just didn't carry this role very well. Or maybe it didn't fit him, I don't know. His acting was okay for the most part though. I feel like the relationship dynamics between the leads was quite lackluster, not much chemistry going on in my opinion. There are some cute interactions, but meh.

This is definitely a filler drama. I think the production quality is done slightly better than dramas like General's Lady or Romance of Tiger and Rose. But it didn't really gain the popularity of either one, mostly because the acting and premise were super average. The plot falls off the wagon pretty quickly and it kind of drags on. This drama has a slightly more mature tone to it than the typical light romcom like General's Lady; there aren't that many intentionally funny moments.

I would recommend as a filler drama, so don't expect too much from it. 

As a production overall, this drama was tolerable. It's a fantasy-filled drama with mermaids and such with a complicated storyline of reviving their tribe and forbidden love of sorts. This drama has a lot of ups and downs, but the biggest problem I had with it was basically everything. There are a lot of heavily used cliches in this plot, which could've been overcome by the plot and character development. Sadly, those aspects were not fleshed out very successfully.

The plot is rather choppy and rushed from beginning to the end. And the main leads didn't have that much of a chemistry in my opinion. The female lead's acting is ever the same and the male lead's acting doesn't seem to have improved too much since his last drama. Understandably, he's returning from a six year hiatus, but I'm not sure this role suited him very well. In all honesty, the casting wasn't too bad: there are a few supporting characters that have done remarkably well in their acting career. I simply have some beef with the main leads. 

The production quality is on the lower to mid tier end. Many novel readers will also agree that the drama doesn't follow majority of the novel, and compared to the recent releases involving mermaids like Novoland: Pearl Eclipse and Blue Whisper, this certainly falls behind by a stretch. The music and costumes are pretty mediocre. The overall atmosphere of the drama leans towards a darker tone, which fits the story.

I wouldn't recommend really, since I couldn't bear to finish most of it. It's a decent filler, albeit somewhat immature in the character development and plot. Give it a chance; again, I'm not particularly fond of this genre in particular, so there is inevitably some bias here.

First of all, I don't know why this got so many good reviews. It was just okay in my opinion. This is a smaller production drama with two relatively new actors. The story is about a poison expert girl in an arranged marriage with a duke. There are some light politics going on, but it's nothing super well thoughtout. It's the typical cliche drama, and I was hoping something about it would stand out, but nope. 

It's a very light, simple drama. Nothing complicated. The plot drags but it's there somewhere. But on that note, the plot was so messy. I never understood how the ending ended up the way it did. I was also not so invested so the development of the storyline felt kind of shallow. 

I didn't really like the main leads; their chemistry was just so-so. Didn't like the male lead's acting because he was basically a stiff-faced, cold prince the whole time. The female lead was average in terms of acting; I'm not super into cutesy characters so that was already a minus for me. She seems to often play that kind of character, which I suppose fits her physique and image, but it's just not for me.

The dynamics is definitely more childish and lax. You won't get anything complicated from the plot. The rest of the cast didn't stand out to me at all. Also, I guess it's because this is low production, but they use the same two pieces of music for the entire drama. I got so tired of listening to it while watching serious scenes, comedic scenes, romantic scenes, ugh. Even the background music were basically instrumentals of the theme songs. 

This is definitely a filler drama, watch it for fun. It's got great reviews, so I'm sure it's special for some unknown reason. I'm guessing this is considered a guilty pleasure drama, like who doesn't like a cold guy who melts at the sight of the girl he loves? Except she barely melts the tip of his iceberg. I think he smiles like 5 times total in this drama. 

So this may be the one fantasy drama that has slightly better CGI. Not by much though. This is a more recent fantasy drama with a typical uptake on leveling up martial arts. I thought the premise was pretty cool, like who doesn't want power rings floating around them? This was a really cliche drama in every other sense though. The romance, the plot development, even the character development.

Our male mc basically goes through this journey of leveling up, and it's in a school setting with other friends/classmates. There's also some backstory angst that serves as a plot driver for the mc. I thought the acting was pretty mediocre. I didn't really like the female lead that much in terms of acting or character. The mc's acting didn't stand out to me in the way I thought it would, given his performance in The Untamed.  Most of the cast are relatively young/new though. Well, not that new, but this is probably only their second or third bigger drama. The chemistry fell kind of flat for me personally, but maybe it was real romantic for some. 

The production of this drama shouldn't be that low of a quality. I would say it's midsize, leaning towards the smaller end. This drama gave me similar vibes as Fights Break Sphere: Season 1. There's a mix of light and dark in this drama. It's a pretty clean and easy to follow plot development. That being said the plot doesn't hook you in too much. Hero's journey type always start like this.

I would watch this as filler, but it's probably not as light of a watch as you'd expect (definitely not as much comedy). It has some visually appealing elements, but the plot was kind of weak and messy as was the relationships between the cast members. 

The only reason I watched (some of) this drama was because of the actors. They're pretty well-known mid-tier leads, so I had some expectations. This drama is a very short drama focusing on the princess who grew up in an oppressed/toxic environment, and she eventually becomes a "scandalous" woman. She fancies the main lead and chases after him. Stuff happens, they end up together. The end. Not the best plot we've ever seen. The pacing is kind of slow and fast at the same time. Like the main lead's romantic plot happens so quickly and there's basically nothing substantial.

This is basically the definition of an idol drama, similar to Jiu Liu Overlord. People watch it for the cute romance. I was hoping for something a little more, given the actors weren't new to the circle. I think the only thing slightly redeemable was the acting. It has the makings of a more serious drama, but because the plotline is so short and rushed, it feels really childish. A lot of details are glossed over and the entire setup/conflicts are very predictable. 

It's not advertised as a comedic, casual drama, but it's not plot heavy either, so it's in that awkward spot where you can't take it seriously, but you're supposed to? I wish the actors had gotten better roles, because I thought they could have carried a bigger production (they definitely could hold it down). The music and costumes are mediocre. The music is super basic too, like you've definitely heard it in a million other of these.

Overall, it's just a filler. It's probably a nice warm up to something more serious, but it's far from being sufficient enough to carry itself. The music as alright and the costumes/settings were pretty mediocre. I imagine the budget was in the middle for this drama because the production quality isn't poor by any means. It just didn't hit the threshold for a "standard drama." At least, it doesn't heavy a messy story.

I don't know why it took me more than three episodes to realize I wouldn't like this drama, but it did. This is another one of those revenge heroine stories with identity change (not too dissimilar to Love of Thousand Years). Is it better than that one? Eh, maybe by a little.

I wasn't really entertained by the whole male harem around the heroine idea. One of the only reasons I watched this drama was because I thought the female lead had some potential after watching Eastern Palace/Goodbye My Princess. She did alright in this drama, but the male leads all more or less fell flat. The cast has a lot of new actors though, so that's probably why. As of such,  no one stood out to me personally, even the female lead's acting seemed average. Her chemistry with the first male lead was meh--I think her acting salvaged it a little though. Male lead's acting wasn't bad, but he did much better in Royal Nirvana as a villain though. 

The plot and premise of the story are both standard and clear cut, nothing too messy. The villains are constructed slightly differently, but the gist of it is the same. Given the character settings and plot, I didn't expect much from this drama. It's also a relatively smaller production drama with an extensive plot line. The atmosphere shifts more towards a dark mood, because of the revenge backstory and the villains/character settings. The pace of the drama is a little slow though.

Wouldn't really recommend, but if you want, give it a try. I haven't watched that many reverse harems, and this was one of the firsts. Not a huge fan, but I think there are some others out there that are lighter watches if you're interested. Examples: In a Class of Her Own, The Chang'an Youth, A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College (Note: none of these are on my list).

This one isn't that old, but it feels kind of old. I think this was the one of the earlier large-scale cultivation dramas I ever watched, so I learned quite a few things. One of which was my immediate distaste for the word "shifu." Like the cringe on a scale of 1 to Twilight maxes out at Twilight and more. This drama is a heroine story as she studies in the immortal sect, her pitfalls, and redemption and of course, her forbidden romance with her master.

The plot was so irrefutably messy, I couldn't bear to finish this drama. It starts off simple enough, it's basically telling the events of things happening to our mc. Her growth and how she eventually gets to be better than her oh-so jealous classmates. It drags on at one point and then speeds up, so not a super consistent pace. And heavens, the acting was not there at all. The cast has a lot of actors, most of which I can't remember. The production quality is pretty high, at least at its time. I liked the music in here, particularly the main theme songs.

The main leads have such an off-putting relationship though, I couldn't manage watching them. There's no such thing as chemistry either. The male lead feels so much older than the female lead, even though he's not supposed to (because immortals stop aging at one point?). He plays this cold, ascetic, mature master, who I honestly couldn't tell had feelings for the female lead by the end of the drama. Other than crying over her and spitting up blood 80% of the time. The female lead's character got annoying real fast. Neither of the leads pulled through with their acting, I can tell you that much. 

I actually don't remember that much about this drama. If you're curious about the earlier cultivation dramas with immortals and flying swords, etc., I guess this is a starting place. Funny thing though, this drama was really, really popular at one point.

This drama is an honorary mention. Paying homage to one of the absolute earliest dramas I remember watching. This was also probably the first harem drama I had ever watched. You probably can't find this drama anymore like anywhere except on Chinese websites, but I just wanted to throw it on here to balance the newer/older dramas.

It doesn't show the plot, so I'll give a basic run down. This is probably the only historical drama I've seen thus far that involves the interesting hobby of making perfumes. And what's more is, our male mc is the one doing it. This is also probably the earliest harem drama I've watched. A charming man he was, he literally has like three or four girls behind him in a merry conga line. If I remember correctly, the plot was quite messy and there were a lot of different settings involved. It's a complicated story with some politics (not necessarily court politics, probably pugilist), entangled romance, unending grudges and resentment, and lots of pretty ladies. It fits the serious, somber energy all the historical dramas had back then (you can tell from the opening/closing songs too). 

I was not a huge fan of the female lead's acting. She was the epitome of a porcelain vase; delicate and pretty, but she could not act. The remaining ones were so-so, our mc was also average I'd say. This drama just has a special place in my heart because of how long ago I watched it. Also, everyone looked so much more distinct and natural back then before plastic surgery was a thing. 

I wouldn't really recommend, but it's such a classic to me even if it wasn't popular in China (don't know if it was or not). The opening/closing are below for a sneak peek.

Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3y0-_7ykGQ

Ending Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSmnEWuX01c

So, this drama is a retelling of the classical story of the white snake and her lover. This story has been retold so many times honestly. I think this adaptation was rather subpar, if I'm being honest. This is mid sized production, on the smaller end though. It's a forbidden love story between a man and a demon, which spans for thousands of years of waiting. The plot has a slightly different construct from the original story, which may or may not have diminished the authenticity of the story.

I think this drama was when the leads weren't that famous yet. Both are notorious in other dramas now (Ashes of Love (female), Under the Power (male)), but at the time, this drama was one of their somewhat earlier projects. I can say that their acting in this pales in comparison to their current projects. Their chemistry in here was meh, nothing notable. And the overall cast was pretty average. The villains in here didn't really stand out to me that much. Again, the female lead's role isn't my type, or maybe it's just her acting at this point. I don't know.

I skipped through this because the pace was rather slow. And I wasn't really engaged in the plot. It was messy as they usually are. I think this is a pretty solid casual watch if you're trying to get a better understanding of the cultivation/demons vs humans world. It doesn't stick to the original story that well though. There's another drama called The Legend of White Snake with the female lead from Legend of Yunxi. I personally preferred this one over that one. Overall, this one is done slightly better with an overall more solid cast.

I would say this is a filler drama, but it's somewhat more reliable than a number of the smaller production dramas. However, it can't beat out a small production dramas with better acting and chemistry (given they are equally messy and without logic).

I will say, never in my drama-watching career have I ever seen such ridiculous hairstyles. It's not even symmetrical like the ones from Qing Dynasty. This is a complicated heroine story involving changing identities, kingdom warfare, and numerous faked deaths. I was honestly so over the entire plot by episode 10. There are a number of things that ruined the drama for me.

The first was the plot. The plot ends up so messy and confusing. It starts off relatively messy and then the descent into chaos happens. The first half of the drama was bearable, but the second part was so strange. The second thing was the lead roles. I didn't like their characters, particularly the female lead's character. My other thing is that I feel like this drama would give off a different vibe with more mature characters. The cast in here are all really new and young, so it feels super exaggerated, like a kid trying to be an adult. Another thing is the actress for the female lead is not my favorite ever. I felt zero chemistry between the two leads, not even physics. The way they closed everything out was pretty rushed and disappointing as well. 

Something interesting and possibly redeemable for this drama was the cast. The cast is actually pretty stacked with currently very successful actors. At the time of this drama, they were probably somewhat unknown though. Naturally, their acting was still unpolished at the time. For the rest, eh. The production quality of this drama is about midsized I would say. The politics in here didn't really interest me. Nothing about the characters' development was really progressive. The plot fell off its horse after the first 15 episodes and started dragging all over the place.

I wouldn't really recommend this drama. There are some good reviews though, so give it a shot. I can't really pinpoint anything I liked about this drama if I'm being honest. 

So if you like fantasy dramas and absolutely adore the abominations called CGI in these dramas, this is another one for you to consider. I gave it a shot because it was my first time seeing this type of world building and setting. Unfortunately, it was a shot into the dark.

The acting didn't help keep this drama afloat either. The actors in this drama aren't exactly young and new, but they're veteran actors in the sense that they're not very great, they're just old now. The acting was pretty mediocre honestly. The female lead isn't very notable; I've seen her in other dramas and she's okay I guess. Could use some improvement. The premise of the story was pretty obvious from the start. Rebellion, waging war, revenge, blah blah. We have a nice angsty brothers dynamic and romance subplot that shouldn't be mentioned really. Overall, the story didn't catch my attention--I definitely skimmed through this one.

I think one thing that agreed with me about this drama was the brothers' dynamic while fighting for the throne or whatever. There's a lot of betrayal and killing, but at least they didn't narrow everything down to the male and female lead's romance. It was more of a backdrop in my opinion, as it should be. They put more attention on the actual issue, which I appreciate.

I wanted to add this mostly for expanding the variety, since fantasy isn't my favorite genre. If you're looking for similar ones that might be potentially worse or about the same there's King of Blaze, An Oriental Odyssey, The World of Fantasy etc. 

All things considered, I would not recommend this drama. But it's got all kinds of mythical creatures in it and of course, our two main show stealers: the Ice tribe and the Fire tribe. Sounds pretty cool, right? Shout out to Fireboy and Watergirl.

I'll be honest, I basically only watched this drama for the second male lead. I mean, he was pretty much the only who could act in the main cast. The two female leads' acting made me cringe so much that I could hardly finish the drama. Did I finish? You bet not. The plot pace is pretty slow, so aside from the beginning that was somewhat more interesting, it fell flat.

This is a drama with face swapping, which results in a lot of problems. The premise wasn't my favorite; it kind of reminds me of Jun Jiu Ling and Love of Ten Thousand Years. Except, both parties are alive. Thankfully. The plot was too long for me though, it dragged a lot in my opinion. A lot of things were made more complicated, but that's to be expected from a messy plot. 

The acting was pretty bad from the female leads. Literally, both of them just have wide eyes and talking mouths. Although kudos to whoever casted them because they look so similar to each other, basically like sisters. The first male lead's acting was bearable. I probably only like the second male lead. His character was rather childish and sweet, but he was able to pull it off despite being evidently older. The cast in here are older, but honestly, there are a lot of youngsters doing better than them on this list. 

The production of this drama is pretty midsized I would say. I didn't notice anything remarkable about the music. I will say the hairpieces and costumes are a little different from the usual. I can't say that I liked them that much though. The politics in this plot wasn't really interesting to me and the villains were pretty obvious from the start. 

I wouldn't really recommend this if I were being honest. It's most definitely a filler. Not my slice of cake for sure. 

So the parent story to this drama is Sound of the Desert. This is an even more entangled romance story revolving around our female lead. I still get confused which guy is which. The drama's pace kind of drags. There is some politics going on, especially with the men's identities. Overall, I didn't really like this drama. The parent story, Sound of the Desert, was written a little better than this. The production quality of this drama is smaller than Sound of the Desert, I would say. 

The acting wasn't great either. I'm not a huge fan of the male leads. The female lead is also not a great actress. She did slightly better in General and I but not by much either. Her expression is essentially the same throughout the entire drama. There wasn't much chemistry between the leads either. The plot is actually based on a novel, but it doesn't stick to the novel very well. They dragged certain parts for too long and sped up over other parts. The cast has mostly experienced actors, save for the female lead. I believe it's her first drama. That might explain why the chemistry sucked.

I honestly couldn't bear watching the whole thing. A lot of the plot lines got kind of repetitive and they oversimplified everything in this drama. Anything that had more morally gray areas in the novel became super black and white in here, which made it boring. The relationship issues in here are also quite cliche and kind of dumb. 

I wouldn't really recommend this drama. I would prefer Sound of the Desert over this, despite it also not being that appealing either. It's just that none of the cast really stood out to me in here. 

This drama wasn't exactly trashy, but it kind of was at the same time. It's a coming-of-age story, involving some basic court politics and romance. The focus of the story is on the Fabrics Department of the royal family, known for their embroidery and weaving. The premise of the story isn't too bad really, but it dragged on endlessly. My biggest issue with this drama is the plot. 

The plot was quite messed up. Lots of suspicious plot holes and cliches. While the original premise of the story was good, they messed up a lot of points. Surprisingly though, there are a lot of historical references in this drama. I'm just dissatisfied with how they wrote the characters and their connections to the story. A lot of things in here are really unbelievable if you think about it. 

The cast was average. Most of these actors I don't really recognize, so they're definitely not that experienced or veteran actors. The leads are more well-known, but they're acting was only so-so. The female lead's acting usually isn't as bad, but I don't think she suited her role in here, which made it worse. Especially when she's trying to act cute it feels weird, because she looks a lot older/mature. The male lead's acting isn't too bad, he's just not very compatible with the female lead in my opinion. The chemistry between the leads fell short, so they kind of disappointed the romantic genre. 

The production quality honestly was slightly better than I expected. It's probably a midsized production. The music was okay here and there. I wouldn't really recommend it as a serious watch. Maybe a filler drama. The overall ambience of the drama is a mix of light and dark. It's not really that mature or heavy, but it's also not super comedic and light. 

I had heard about the improved CGI in recent dramas like these, and I decided to take a look at it. It was...okay. I guess. I think Duoluo Continent is either about the same level of CGI or a little higher. Or maybe I just like the way the rings look in that drama. This is another coming-of-age drama with an amnesiac male mc with a ragtag bunch of friends.

This drama is adapted from a novel that I never read. The premise of this drama was pretty basic to me. I think pretty much the entire cast was new, so I won't comment too much on their acting. The leads didn't really have that much chemistry in my opinion. They're both relatively new to acting and you can definitely tell it's unpolished. Their character development didn't really draw any attraction to me. 

As you can already see, usually these magic/spiritual-esque dramas don't rank very high on my list. This one is no exception. They're usually not very well constructed. Thankfully, this one is not based on a video game. The production quality of this drama is not too high; it's a small-sized production. But it's not too poorly made for a small-size production. The music isn't too bad, but it feels a little over the top. It builds a lot of anticipation during the action scenes though, which is good. 

I'm not sure I would recommend. Duoluo Continent and Fights Break Sphere are both more clean cut and standard plots. This one is a little different, so it may be more intriguing in terms of plot construct and pacing. For some people, it might hook them in more because it starts with the plot rolling. I wasn't super attracted to it though. It's confusing to watch fantasy dramas without more explanations of their magical powers and artifacts.

This drama was one of those oddly midsize productions that definitely fell short. You'd think the quality of it would be proportionate to the actors they hire, given their budget. Anyways, this another story about the male mc dying earlier than he should and he finally leaves the mountains to go on adventure (not really, he's seeking the cure). 

This has the elements of bonding and friendships, and there's some mild romance. Honestly, I was not a fan of the acting from either leads. Especially the female lead--she basically looks the same throughout the entire drama (I've seen enough of her in other dramas to know). The male lead isn't really an actor either, I think he's a singer. So, I didn't expect much from him to begin with. The remaining cast were meh, I didn't notice anyone that amazing. A thing to note would be that the cast has a mix of younger/newer actors and a few slightly more experienced actors. 

The plot moves along moderately, I just felt like the storyline and characters were written too shallowly. But at least the plot isn't super messy upfront; it very gradually gets kind of weird and ridiculous, like a descent into chaos. I suspect it's because it's based off of a manga. The villains aren't even worth mentioning at this point. This is probably a very typical teen drama; it has a very light tone to it (the costumes, the colors). I would say this looks pretty, but that's all there is to it.

I wasn't really interested in this. I will say the production quality is slightly better than your average filler drama, but everything was so below average, I couldn't appreciate anything. Maybe watch it as a filler fantasy drama. 

This drama probably deserves an award for messiest plot. I didn't understand what was going on 90% of the time. It's not very high on my list of small production dramas, but it adds some variety to it. The story is about a princess who basically gets a second chance to live as another person with some smattering of revenge. A lot of people dislike that the female lead is essentially playing a different person, even if they're watching her face on screen 95% of the time.

The romance plot wasn't all that. I didn't like the way it developed for sure. Despite that, I think they had some good chemistry; the male lead's acting was also pretty good. I feel like he nailed down his character pretty well, but his character setting was kind of weird by default. I wasn't a huge fan of the female lead's character; she got annoying at one point. She's pretty well known in some of her other dramas like Romance of Tiger and Rose and The Long Ballad, but she just didn't fit this role. I know I did not like their relationship dynamics, it was so weird (despite them having relatively good chemistry). 

Another thing I didn't like was the premise of the story with the girl living as another person. It makes you vaguely uncomfortable about it. And a lot of the worldbuilding felt disconnected to the story. The production quality is pretty low, and it's a rather simplistic drama.  Never figured out what the ending meant. 

I didn't find it entertaining. Pretty sure I dropped midway. Another filler drama and the ratings aren't that high. I would consider this as a random drama to watch to pass time.

From the start, I could tell this drama would not be my type. It's a romance, heroine story where there's supposed to be a plot, but honestly, it's just about her romantic liaisons with two young men. It's a really slow paced drama with average plot. At first, I thought it was okay, because it had a kind of standard story line, but nope it just got increasingly worse. 

I don't have a lot of comments on this drama mostly because I didn't watch it all the way. And I also watched this years back, so I don't remember too much. All I know is that I would definitely not rewatch this.

I didn't find the acting all that great. The female lead's acting fell flat most of the time for me. She also had a super annoying character. And the premise of the story was what ruined it for me. Basically, she was indecisive the whole time, running back and forth between two guys. I dislike inconsistent characters. Both of the male leads didn't do that great with acting either. The cast's chemistry was barely existent. 

I don't remember the plot that much, but I did watch this a while back, so I probably didn't really pay attention to the plot. Either way, it's a kind of messy drama. It's more fictional/folklore than an actual historical drama, so don't take it too seriously. The production quality isn't all that great and the music was pretty meh. 

I wouldn't really recommend, but it's a filler drama if you're considering one. There's also the Prince of Lan Ling, which focuses on the prince more. That one didn't do great either. Pick your poison, if you're considering either. 

I'm putting this on the list just to throw the male lead under the bus really. This drama definitely has one of the weirdest plots and worldbuilding. The funniest thing about this drama was seeing the male lead in here and then seeing him as mc in Joy of Life. No idea how he got dragged into this mess of a drama, but he did. This drama is a heroine story and...nothing made sense after that.

To start off, I have problems with the female lead. It's something about her acting or character setting (I've seen her in other dramas) that sets me off. I generally avoid dramas with this female lead. She annoys me on the same level as The Eternal Love's female lead (see bottom of this list for reference). We won't talk about the mc to put him out of his misery in this drama, because his shoulders just weren't broad enough to carry the whole show (it's also one of his earlier shows before he hit the jackpot). The remaining of the cast was pretty subpar, although I'm fairly certain they're all relatively new (as were the leads).

The premise of this story wasn't that entertaining, although this drama had a concept that is seldom explored in Chinese dramas (similarly with paranormal genres like vampires, werewolves, angels, etc.); however a lot of those western elements aren't really seen in this drama. Only one--which was angels, but they chalked it up as some bird tribe. This is mostly due to cultural differences with these dramas focusing more on immortals, demons, etc. 

The atmosphere of the drama is really strange and unnatural because this was meant to be presented in a more serious way, with minimal comedy. The only problem is that everything feels so low in quality, it doesn't achieve the same effect. And my goodness, the blue eye contacts need to go. 

Wouldn't recommend, but if you want to see the duality of the mc, and compare this small production drama to a quality one, feel free. 

This drama was definitely not the mc's proudest moment in acting history (same mc as in Nirvana in Fire). I don't know how he ended up in this disgusting CGI, video game-esque, nonexistent plot and chemistry of a drama, but here we are. This is yet again, another rare drama full of hotshot actors that haven't quite made it big yet (aside from the star, Mr. NiF). 

And once again, despite having a relatively impressive cast (looking back), the acting was pretty mediocre. I would blame it on the lack of real plot. This is definitely one of those video game fantasy dramas where the plot was made up on the whim. Did this do better than Swords of Legends? Kind of, mostly because of the mc and the other actors, but it's still just as trashy. It hurts to talk about the acting, because it was there and it felt so unnatural, I couldn't bear continuing to watch this drama.  

I don't even remember what the plot was about. It was all kinds of mystical fantasy with some sword as the main attraction. And of course, the mc. He had to play different identities, which were done pretty alright. In my opinion, this drama was just an absolute waste of any of the actors' acting skills and time. And wow, the magnificence of the CGI hits us again. 

I wouldn't recommend. Mostly added this to my list to provide some duality for the mc in NiF, and give some additional insight to the video game-esque dramas like Swords of Legends. This definitely should drive the point home. 

This was one of those rare dramas where all the hotshots were casted together when they were younger without knowing they would somehow become hotshot actors in the future. I watched this many years back, and without a doubt, this was by far the messiest plot I'd ever seen. So maybe the casting was more counterproductive than they thought. It's a hero's journey story with a male mc and his ragtag friends he makes along the way.

Unfortunately, because these hotshots were all younger when this came out, their acting was nowhere near their standard level. The relationship dynamics were so forgettable, I genuinely don't remember anything about the casts' chemistry. I know the romance between the leads were really bland though. It might've been how bland the mc's acting was though.

I listed this drama because it was kind of one of those notoriously terrible dramas that nobody liked, but watched because everyone knew the actors. This is a mid-sized (?) production drama I think. Maybe it's bigger, but I couldn't tell with the amount of mortifying CGI I saw in this drama (which you'll have to forgive in the more recent dramas, because there's been zero improvement). 

I wouldn't recommend though. I'm 99% sure this was based off of a video game and they made a story around it like XuanYuan Sword: Scar of Sky. This is added just to provide more variety on my list, since this is one of those CGI heavy, video game-esque stories, which is getting less and less common (thankfully).

This drama was by far the cringiest/trashiest on this list in my opinion (only made the list to prove a point). This was a physically painful drama for me to watch. And it was one hundred percent the female lead for me. I just couldn't handle her character. On a scale of 1 to correlation equals causation, we're hitting the roof. It's that bad. It's a small production drama involving body switching and time traveling. The heroine's character got annoying so fast, it was only like three episodes in. I think this one was one of those body swap/personality switch dramas that didn't turn out right. 

To start off, I didn't like the acting from the leads. The female lead was the problem child of this drama honestly. My goodness, you could probably hear her screechy shrill voice in your nightmares. The male lead was not so great either, but he was slightly more bearable than the female lead. Only by like 2 cm more bearable. The chemistry was pretty shallow (which might be why they needed to make 3 of these). The plot was pretty bad from the start and it just became increasingly problematic. Like the logic was so absent, I couldn't bear to continue. It's a very childish and immature dynamic between all of the characters. 

It's a really light drama, no mental effort is needed to figure out what's going to happen. Overall, I felt like this was constructed poorly, but there are reviews that beg to differ. I know this is one those light, fun watches, like who cares about the plot? But it's the acting and the character settings I can't stand, which just ruins every aspect about this drama. 

Definitely didn't make my recommend list. BUT it is a lighthearted watch for someone who enjoys cringey/cheesy/cliche dramas. And don't worry if there's a sad ending--they made like 3 seasons of this couple. And another modern drama with this same couple. At this rate, they should be married and have kids. 

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The director of this drama also directed some of the biggest hits in China of all time (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, Journey of the Flower, Novoland: Pearl Eclipse, Love 020 (modern), Sound of the Desert, Chinese Paladin 3, etc.).

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