1
Anarya
This review may contain spoilers
A beautiful love story with a predictable ending
OVERALL RATING: 8.25/10
Like many others here, I waited a long time to see this show (2 years to be precise) and was very happy when it finally aired. I was waiting to see Xiao Zhan return in a costume drama, and he definitely did not disappoint.
The Longest Promise has a simple enough story - not as complex as most other Xianxia. Although that sounds like it might be a bad thing, it is actually one of the strengths of the show. I’ll come back to this point later.
I have not read the original novel, so I had no idea what to expect. It took several episodes to get into the show - even though it was interesting enough initially. This show works when seen as a character-driven extremely slow-burn love story, but does not hold up well when dealing with palace intrigue and conspiracies. I think the student-teacher romance tag is a slight oversimplification of the relationship between the leads, which is a complex one, starting from childhood and later embroiled in prophecies and other complications.
WHAT I LIKED:
The love story between Shi Ying and Zhu Yan is convincing and sweet. This is done rather well - there is an unspoken love that they both have for each other and we never need to see physical touch to be convinced of this. It is through their actions and sacrifices for each other where this is made apparent.
The side characters are compelling enough and we are also invested in those storylines. Qing Gang and Bai Xuelu have an interesting progression to their relationship, but they are also compelling characters on their own. Yuan is a lovely second male lead - his 200-year-old love for Yao Yi is quite touching. Although he realises that Zhu Yan is Yao Yi’s reincarnation, he never pushes her to love him or does not seek her love in return. The High Priest makes for a very interesting character as well. His motivations are clear - and his ruthlessness and humanity both make sense. Chong Ming is another favourite - he provides some comic relief but he is also more than that.
The acting is great - I think everyone did a stellar job. Of course I watched this for Xiao Zhan and he was excellent in it (although, yes, he feels older than a teenager). This was the first show I watched with Ren Min - and I initially went in with some trepidation. However, she convinced me that she is a capable actress.
The CGI was relatively good - better in some places than in other places. Same for the music.
WHAT I HAD PROBLEMS WITH:
What was the relevance of the Ice Clan? They seemed to be there, lingering in the background, but we don’t know anything about them. Why do they want to cause chaos and what is their true purpose?
The last 2 episodes were a real let-down. After all the tears we cried for Yuan, he was resurrected. There was absolutely no reason for this. Soon after, he was possessed by the God of Destruction. It seemed like he was completely stripped of his agency and humanity and became obsessed with Yao Yi (which he never was before). It seemed like such a bizarre decision to do that. What was the point of bringing Yuan back from the dead just to do this? It was absolutely bonkers. When he died the second time, it didn’t have the effect it should have had. Also, the way Shi Ying died had little impact because suddenly in the last 2 episodes, our heroes are fighting a foe that was just introduced and is now all encompassing. It makes the plot convoluted and complex, without being meaningful. This is why I said the show’s strength is in its simplicity. The ultimate villain being this way was such a weak trope that ruined all the emotional buildup of the previous episodes. The multiple resurrections and immediate healing just lessened the emotional impact of the show because the stakes were so low.
Similarly, Zhu Yan loses all her senses bringing Shi Ying back to life, but then she is immediately healed by Qing Gang and Xuelu. The emotional effect of her sacrifice is lost. Of course she later says she cannot smell or taste, but as the audience, we don’t see her being seriously affected by those things (versus things like sight or hearing) and so again, the impact is gone.
The ending - did Shi Ying come back to life again? I would’ve preferred if he had actually died and not been shown again because keeping it open again kind of ruins the emotional impact it could have had.
OVERALL:
Don’t go expecting the most amazing story ever told. It is a good show and is strong when it deals with characters. However, I was very disappointed with the last 2 episodes. That said, it is still a good show with great acting. Can I also just mention what an ethereal beauty Xiao Zhan is? It was difficult to focus on subtitles when he was on screen.
Like many others here, I waited a long time to see this show (2 years to be precise) and was very happy when it finally aired. I was waiting to see Xiao Zhan return in a costume drama, and he definitely did not disappoint.
The Longest Promise has a simple enough story - not as complex as most other Xianxia. Although that sounds like it might be a bad thing, it is actually one of the strengths of the show. I’ll come back to this point later.
I have not read the original novel, so I had no idea what to expect. It took several episodes to get into the show - even though it was interesting enough initially. This show works when seen as a character-driven extremely slow-burn love story, but does not hold up well when dealing with palace intrigue and conspiracies. I think the student-teacher romance tag is a slight oversimplification of the relationship between the leads, which is a complex one, starting from childhood and later embroiled in prophecies and other complications.
WHAT I LIKED:
The love story between Shi Ying and Zhu Yan is convincing and sweet. This is done rather well - there is an unspoken love that they both have for each other and we never need to see physical touch to be convinced of this. It is through their actions and sacrifices for each other where this is made apparent.
The side characters are compelling enough and we are also invested in those storylines. Qing Gang and Bai Xuelu have an interesting progression to their relationship, but they are also compelling characters on their own. Yuan is a lovely second male lead - his 200-year-old love for Yao Yi is quite touching. Although he realises that Zhu Yan is Yao Yi’s reincarnation, he never pushes her to love him or does not seek her love in return. The High Priest makes for a very interesting character as well. His motivations are clear - and his ruthlessness and humanity both make sense. Chong Ming is another favourite - he provides some comic relief but he is also more than that.
The acting is great - I think everyone did a stellar job. Of course I watched this for Xiao Zhan and he was excellent in it (although, yes, he feels older than a teenager). This was the first show I watched with Ren Min - and I initially went in with some trepidation. However, she convinced me that she is a capable actress.
The CGI was relatively good - better in some places than in other places. Same for the music.
WHAT I HAD PROBLEMS WITH:
What was the relevance of the Ice Clan? They seemed to be there, lingering in the background, but we don’t know anything about them. Why do they want to cause chaos and what is their true purpose?
The last 2 episodes were a real let-down. After all the tears we cried for Yuan, he was resurrected. There was absolutely no reason for this. Soon after, he was possessed by the God of Destruction. It seemed like he was completely stripped of his agency and humanity and became obsessed with Yao Yi (which he never was before). It seemed like such a bizarre decision to do that. What was the point of bringing Yuan back from the dead just to do this? It was absolutely bonkers. When he died the second time, it didn’t have the effect it should have had. Also, the way Shi Ying died had little impact because suddenly in the last 2 episodes, our heroes are fighting a foe that was just introduced and is now all encompassing. It makes the plot convoluted and complex, without being meaningful. This is why I said the show’s strength is in its simplicity. The ultimate villain being this way was such a weak trope that ruined all the emotional buildup of the previous episodes. The multiple resurrections and immediate healing just lessened the emotional impact of the show because the stakes were so low.
Similarly, Zhu Yan loses all her senses bringing Shi Ying back to life, but then she is immediately healed by Qing Gang and Xuelu. The emotional effect of her sacrifice is lost. Of course she later says she cannot smell or taste, but as the audience, we don’t see her being seriously affected by those things (versus things like sight or hearing) and so again, the impact is gone.
The ending - did Shi Ying come back to life again? I would’ve preferred if he had actually died and not been shown again because keeping it open again kind of ruins the emotional impact it could have had.
OVERALL:
Don’t go expecting the most amazing story ever told. It is a good show and is strong when it deals with characters. However, I was very disappointed with the last 2 episodes. That said, it is still a good show with great acting. Can I also just mention what an ethereal beauty Xiao Zhan is? It was difficult to focus on subtitles when he was on screen.
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