absurd
No spoilers
First of all, I did not read the novel or watch the anime, so this is my impression from the drama itself, regardless of how faithful it was to the source material.Overall I'm really impressed with it. It's not perfect, there are definitely things they could improve on, but on the whole I got the impression that there was a lot of work and thought put into the production.
I liked the general idea of this. It is a very cliché plot, sure, but in a good way. I really like characters like TS and the whole "chosen hero to change the world" thing feels nostalgic in a way.
I liked the pacing and the world building. For someone like me - with no preconceived knowledge - they did the introductory part really well. It was organic and built into the story, instead of a long boring lecture that I usually tune out after two sentences. The story sucked me in from the very beginning and kept me interested until the end. I did not skip a single scene and might even rewatch this when I have the time.
There's a lot of humor, it fit really well. Master and Headmaster are the best comedic duo in the c-drama, I've seen.
The characters are all written well, I understood their motivations (with few exceptions) and relationship development worked for me. There was only one exception: Tang San and Xiao Wu. I had no problems with XW as a character, yes she's childish, but it works for her and I didn't find her annoying. But they kind of went from "Hi" to "I will die for you" too fast, IMO. I didn't feel it. The rest of their relationship worked for me well enough. I do think Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing have a much more natural progression.
The acting is good, no one felt overexaggerated or fake. Acting is rarely a problem in c-dramas, so I have nothing more to say about it.
The CGI here is great. Can it be better? Sure. Are you watching a Hollywood movie? No. Some parts could be improved, but overall it looked like a part of the world, not like some cheap animation inserted into it. The CGI parts of the fights were always great.
The fights themselves, though... It was pretty good in the beginning, when there's hand to hand, but as soon as we get to fights with Marital souls, they flop. The fights (with the exception of the one in the last episode) lack action and end too abruptly, characters just stand around a lot waiting for something to happen.
And speaking of abrupt endings, some scenes are cut so weirdly. There's like a moment of anticipation and then we cut to the next scene and it turns out everything has ended. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it just "hey, what happened here?!".
I didn't have any problems with BGM, I didn't notice it. With one exception: XZ's song. And don't get me wrong, I love the song itself, but it seems like it was recorded after the fact and inserted into the scenes also after the fact, without much care whether it fits or not. The first time, worked ok, but the other two... there are people talking! Why are you adding a loud song with lyrics in the middle of the conversation? *facepalm*
I think, I can talk for hours, but without spoilers those are probably the most important parts. If you are still reading this (doubtful), then definitely give this a chance it's a very light easy to watch drama. All the things that I didn't like are minor and don't spoil the overall impression.
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Ok, bear with me, this is going to be looong
No spoilers! Since reviews are mostly for people who didn't watch the drama yet :)First the disclaimer. I am not trying to be a critic. To me whether I enjoy a drama (movie or a tv show) depends on it's ability to catch My interest. I can overlook bad CGI (especially in c-drama), dubbing, costume and some plot gaps. I don't mind clichés and I don't base my opinion on whether I like the characters. What is important: acting - if it's bad, I'll drop it, being able to sympathize or at least understand character motivations (not agree, just understand where they are coming from) and at last some idea of end-goal, as in this is going somewhere: to resolve a mystery, a conflict, find treasure, anything that at least promises some culmination at some point.
So, for all that I'm going to complain later on: I did like this drama. There were some moments that made me facepalm, some plot gaps (mostly due to deleted scenes, I think). But. I watched this, waited for the next episode, never thought of dropping it and very rarely felt the need to fast-forward (not never, I think it's impossible to never want to fast-forward with most c-dramas, some scenes are just dragged out. Yes, I'm talking about you "let's stare dramatically at each other or into distance" type of scenes).
So what did I like? Let's start with positives.
The acting is very good. I honestly don't have much to say about it, other than: it never felt overdone or robotic, I understood everything they were trying to portray.
The overall storyline. No this is not political. Some people compare this to the JOL and just no, if that's what you're looking for The Wolf is not it. They are not the same, other than being costume and somewhat historical. To me this drama was about people (how they grow or don't for that matter) and their relationship (not the romantic ones, if I had to, I'd say this is more about family: the one we have and the one we choose). I did not get invested into the main couple (explain later in the negative), but that does not mean I thought their story was unrealistic or outdated. Every relationship is different. Somewhat toxic, self-destructive ones are real too. They are just not pleasant to look at.
To me what was important is that all the characters were in place, they all had their roles and weren't just used as a plot device. I did not feel indifferent when something happened to them and they all had just enough backstory for me to understand them, but not so much that it distracted from the main plot. That is another good point: this drama is pretty concise. While there were some scenes that, IMO, could be shorter, most of the flashbacks and dialogs were interesting and to the point.
I did see characters grow and change. No one was one-dimensional (even if sometimes inconsistent).
Chu Kui is not a "villain" you sympathize with, but he is also not just flat boring "bad guy". I could see what he's feeling, how he consciously makes choices that alienate people around him, how he deteriorates more and more.
Ma Zhai Xing is an interesting one. In the begging it's very frustrating, because it seems like she's stuck in one place and is not willing to grow. But she does grow and change, it just takes a long time. And maybe that's more realistic? Because people don't just change overnight, sometimes it's difficult to accept reality and take responsibility.
I don't want to list all the characters. They are all pretty good and in place. I do have a favorite though, and it's Ji Chong. No it is not because of the actor. I just think that this character has a very charming personality. He is, sometimes, childish and stubborn, but also smart and free spirited, kind of a bright spot in this drama along with Bao Na (who we unfortunately don't see as much of). He accepts good and bad things that happen to him, learns and moves on. A rarely sensible character.
Ok, to the bad parts then.
The script. OMG. To me this is the weakest point. It's problems were made even worse by censoring and deleting some scenes, but even without cuts it's... weak. The characters are very inconsistent at times: MZX goes from smart and astute to simpering idiot in a blink of an eye. And Bo Wang's actions (to me at last) sometimes defy logic. Some situations and explanations are just... the only reaction I got was: "WTF is going on??". Sometimes it's due to cuts: the last few episodes are, honestly, a mess. But some things just can not be attributed to deleted scenes. The two main characters go back and forth so much in the beginning, it frustrating to watch (goes to much into the soap opera territory for my liking).
Which also brings me to my next point. I did not feel a drop of empathy for the ML and FL. There is no Relationship, only a mess of misunderstandings and ridiculous sacrifices. The whole "Romeo and Juliet" vibe is annoying. This is not love, it's infatuation, that would not survive past the honeymoon phase under regular circumstances. Therefore all of their romantic scenes, to me, were kinda "meh". Nor did I feel sad when they argued with each other.
This drama left a good impression. I would not rewatch it, but I did enjoy the experience.
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Main characters seem almost like a side story as the plot does not actually revolve around them and all they do is wander around and talk, talk, talk some more.
The chemistry is nonexistent. Dramatic moments have no impact, because there's no built up or base for them. Those two work as friends, but I don't see anything that would turn this into a b/romance. Which would not be a problem, if said bromance was not pushed into my face at every turn. 5 eps in and they are soulmates *facepalm* On what basis?
Also, that is of course very subjective, but the costumes are horrible. Both of them look pretty much ridiculous. Wen Kexin looks like he's a part of a circus and Zhou Zishu like he run out right after taking a bath.
The only part I had no problem with is acting. I liked ZZH's stoic and subtle acting and GJ did a good job on his character as well. But unfortunately, good acting can't save a boring story.
I probably would have finished it on fast forward, if not for the Legend of Fei. I have already wasted a lot of time on one boring drama of the same caliber, I don't want to waste more.
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