XiaoQing
This review may contain spoilers
A must watch drama in the deity/fantasy genre. Amazing acting and a well-written story.
Where can I start? I was never the biggest fan of this drama genre. The complex celestial hierarchies, the "fake" sets, the heavy and often cheap CGI of these dramas have put me off many times. I've only ever liked Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms but it never really captured my heart. I recently tried The Pillow Book but I was disappointed. For this reason I kept this drama on my to-watch list for more than a year, and I finally decided to start it only because of Ni Ni. I recently dropped Legend of The Phoenixes and wanted to see more of her. So yeah, I wasn't expecting much from this drama, but to my surprise... I ended up ABSOLUTELY LOVING it.
THE CHARACTERS/ACTING, A 10/10
The original title of this drama, Chen Xi Yuan, encapsulates what this story is about better than the English title does. Because this is the story of Jiu Chen and Ling Xi, who have quickly become my favorite power couple in this drama genre – I mean, they’re literally a dragon and a phoenix, THE power couple in Chinese culture. And it's the story of how fate (yuan) brings them together through a journey made of joy, suffering, sweetness and tears. And us along with them.
They are a power couple also because they are each other's equal, even if they start from very unbalanced positions. There is no overbearing male lead and powerless female lead; there's growth, respect and caring. There's saving each other and being each other's strength. Ling Xi is a FL who takes charge and takes the initiative. She's a tide (the "Xi" in her name) that sweeps away everyone and everything and especially a certain ancient, brooding high god. On the other hand, Jiu Chen ends up being the opposite of what you'd expect an all-powerful God of War to be: the most wholesome and adorable ML you could ask for – but still incredibly dashing and badass.
Ni Ni is gorgeous as always and is excellent at playing the cute and spirited Ling Xi and her evolutions: the sorrowful Lin Mo and the splendid high goddess she later becomes. Not a surprise as she's one of the most talented actresses around and always delivers amazing performances. Like I already mentioned, I started this drama because of her and she didn't disappoint a bit.
Chang Chen plays Jiu Chen as the aloof and respected Shen Zun perfectly, but he's also able to effortlessly pull off those little smiles he only has for Ling Xi and some of his closest friends. You can really see his character gradually softening and opening up due to Ling Xi's influence. I think Jiu Chen grows on you as the drama progresses just like Ling Xi grows on him. I also love how Chang Chen's eyes can speak without need for words. He's truly an amazing actor. I’ve seen some silly comments say that he’s too old, when maturity is precisely what this role requires. No 小鲜肉 (young and pretty idol actor) could have pulled off Shen Zun. An ancient God of War who has been carrying the weight of the universe on his shoulders for hundreds of years is just not that kind of "pretty face" role, and this is not that kind of story.
And can we talk about the kissing scenes? This is one of the few fantasy dramas I've watched where the kisses and the love/comfort scenes are actually in an adequate number, plus they don't shy away from showing real, actual kisses (you know, with the actors actually moving while kissing, which doesn't always happen in dramas) and showing characters yearning for physical contact. I love it.
I also want to talk a little about Jing Xiu. He's an amazing second lead/antagonist/villain, with a great performance by Ethan Li. Usually I dread the scenes where the second lead interferes with the main couple, but here I was looking forward to every interaction between him and Lin Mo during the mortal arc because they form such a beautiful bond born out of compassion and sharing the same mortal misfortunes. You never feel like the main ship is threatened by him, you just want to see how this interesting secondary relationship develops. And finally, I love how the final villain isn't just Very-Evil-CGI-Smoke-Demon-Lord but is a complex, well developed character like him.
Finally, a special mention to the supporting cast, particularly the Fuyun Dian squad. They're all fantastic and none of their side storylines ever feel like filler or like they're unnecessary.
THE WRITING/STORY
For a 60-episodes drama, the writing and the pacing are extremely good. You can feel this is not an IP novel turned into a drama and therefore subject to cuts and the addition of filler. This is a script thought, written and executed with a TV series in mind. The comedy and the fluff are also on point. This is a drama that had me laugh, giggle, and *muffled scream* basically every episode.
I'm giving 9/10 to the story for the reasons above, but I also have three main complaints with it:
1) The three big chunks in which the story is divided could have been better balanced, with a shorter second arc (mortal arc) and a longer finale. The final arc was good and satisfying but it deserved a liiittle more time.
2) The mortal arc starts dragging a bit around episodes 35-40. Those fluffy or comedic scenes, those moments when nothing really significant happens are cute and all in retrospective, but they do slow down the momentum of the story.
3) The story itself is nothing new in terms of genre or plot. It doesn't invent anything new never written before. It can be summarized as "good deities defeat bad guys and fall in love" like many already existing stories. BUT it does this better than most of the dramas in its genre. It doesn't drag or go off on a filler tangent for 10+ episodes; it doesn't overuse cheap misunderstandings or recycled tropes; it always treats its characters well and with respect.
THE MUSIC & TECHNICAL ASPECTS
I'm not a music expert so I'll just say that I like the OST and the songs, even though it wasn't "love at first hearing" with any of them. But they grew on me. "Shi Yuan" 是缘, the opening song, is probably my favorite. I also love how there are many song that are used rather sparsely in different moments and it's not just one or two songs being played every 5 minutes.
The production quality is very high. The sets are really beautiful and well made, the CGI is good. The backdrops are always gorgeous and look like paintings (I wanted to screenshot everything). The costumes and makeup are flawless, although I have to say I'm not the biggest fan of the male hairstyles, particularly Jiu Chen's standard, long-hair one. Chang Chen is still handsome, but with more hair volume on his head he would have looked sooo much better. Proof of this is the mortal arc scene when he lets his hair down. That's the volume he should have had in every scene *sigh*.
REWATCH VALUE
10/10 because on a rewatch you're able to pick all those details sprinkled here and there from the very beginning that only become very important later on, and notice once again how well-crafted the writing is.
But also, I believe these characters are so lovable and the acting is so good that they deserve more than one viewing. I'm definitely going to watch it again soon.
THE CHARACTERS/ACTING, A 10/10
The original title of this drama, Chen Xi Yuan, encapsulates what this story is about better than the English title does. Because this is the story of Jiu Chen and Ling Xi, who have quickly become my favorite power couple in this drama genre – I mean, they’re literally a dragon and a phoenix, THE power couple in Chinese culture. And it's the story of how fate (yuan) brings them together through a journey made of joy, suffering, sweetness and tears. And us along with them.
They are a power couple also because they are each other's equal, even if they start from very unbalanced positions. There is no overbearing male lead and powerless female lead; there's growth, respect and caring. There's saving each other and being each other's strength. Ling Xi is a FL who takes charge and takes the initiative. She's a tide (the "Xi" in her name) that sweeps away everyone and everything and especially a certain ancient, brooding high god. On the other hand, Jiu Chen ends up being the opposite of what you'd expect an all-powerful God of War to be: the most wholesome and adorable ML you could ask for – but still incredibly dashing and badass.
Ni Ni is gorgeous as always and is excellent at playing the cute and spirited Ling Xi and her evolutions: the sorrowful Lin Mo and the splendid high goddess she later becomes. Not a surprise as she's one of the most talented actresses around and always delivers amazing performances. Like I already mentioned, I started this drama because of her and she didn't disappoint a bit.
Chang Chen plays Jiu Chen as the aloof and respected Shen Zun perfectly, but he's also able to effortlessly pull off those little smiles he only has for Ling Xi and some of his closest friends. You can really see his character gradually softening and opening up due to Ling Xi's influence. I think Jiu Chen grows on you as the drama progresses just like Ling Xi grows on him. I also love how Chang Chen's eyes can speak without need for words. He's truly an amazing actor. I’ve seen some silly comments say that he’s too old, when maturity is precisely what this role requires. No 小鲜肉 (young and pretty idol actor) could have pulled off Shen Zun. An ancient God of War who has been carrying the weight of the universe on his shoulders for hundreds of years is just not that kind of "pretty face" role, and this is not that kind of story.
And can we talk about the kissing scenes? This is one of the few fantasy dramas I've watched where the kisses and the love/comfort scenes are actually in an adequate number, plus they don't shy away from showing real, actual kisses (you know, with the actors actually moving while kissing, which doesn't always happen in dramas) and showing characters yearning for physical contact. I love it.
I also want to talk a little about Jing Xiu. He's an amazing second lead/antagonist/villain, with a great performance by Ethan Li. Usually I dread the scenes where the second lead interferes with the main couple, but here I was looking forward to every interaction between him and Lin Mo during the mortal arc because they form such a beautiful bond born out of compassion and sharing the same mortal misfortunes. You never feel like the main ship is threatened by him, you just want to see how this interesting secondary relationship develops. And finally, I love how the final villain isn't just Very-Evil-CGI-Smoke-Demon-Lord but is a complex, well developed character like him.
Finally, a special mention to the supporting cast, particularly the Fuyun Dian squad. They're all fantastic and none of their side storylines ever feel like filler or like they're unnecessary.
THE WRITING/STORY
For a 60-episodes drama, the writing and the pacing are extremely good. You can feel this is not an IP novel turned into a drama and therefore subject to cuts and the addition of filler. This is a script thought, written and executed with a TV series in mind. The comedy and the fluff are also on point. This is a drama that had me laugh, giggle, and *muffled scream* basically every episode.
I'm giving 9/10 to the story for the reasons above, but I also have three main complaints with it:
1) The three big chunks in which the story is divided could have been better balanced, with a shorter second arc (mortal arc) and a longer finale. The final arc was good and satisfying but it deserved a liiittle more time.
2) The mortal arc starts dragging a bit around episodes 35-40. Those fluffy or comedic scenes, those moments when nothing really significant happens are cute and all in retrospective, but they do slow down the momentum of the story.
3) The story itself is nothing new in terms of genre or plot. It doesn't invent anything new never written before. It can be summarized as "good deities defeat bad guys and fall in love" like many already existing stories. BUT it does this better than most of the dramas in its genre. It doesn't drag or go off on a filler tangent for 10+ episodes; it doesn't overuse cheap misunderstandings or recycled tropes; it always treats its characters well and with respect.
THE MUSIC & TECHNICAL ASPECTS
I'm not a music expert so I'll just say that I like the OST and the songs, even though it wasn't "love at first hearing" with any of them. But they grew on me. "Shi Yuan" 是缘, the opening song, is probably my favorite. I also love how there are many song that are used rather sparsely in different moments and it's not just one or two songs being played every 5 minutes.
The production quality is very high. The sets are really beautiful and well made, the CGI is good. The backdrops are always gorgeous and look like paintings (I wanted to screenshot everything). The costumes and makeup are flawless, although I have to say I'm not the biggest fan of the male hairstyles, particularly Jiu Chen's standard, long-hair one. Chang Chen is still handsome, but with more hair volume on his head he would have looked sooo much better. Proof of this is the mortal arc scene when he lets his hair down. That's the volume he should have had in every scene *sigh*.
REWATCH VALUE
10/10 because on a rewatch you're able to pick all those details sprinkled here and there from the very beginning that only become very important later on, and notice once again how well-crafted the writing is.
But also, I believe these characters are so lovable and the acting is so good that they deserve more than one viewing. I'm definitely going to watch it again soon.
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