DustinAoh
There really wasn't anything spectacular about the female cast, aside from them being really pretty. It might just be me and my pet peeve though, I don't find things believable if in my mind it seems too stupid for people to do - i.e the protagonists repetitively falling for similar, not-so-elaborate traps set up by the antagonists. I didn't like how the two main female roles ended up being weak (one completely manipulated, and the other completely powerless as a character, despite alleged "saint" abilities that she uses like once.) In that regard my distaste is more so directed at the character/plot design and not so much the actresses themselves, kind of like how in some movies a simple cellphone call would resolve the entire plot-line.
I did however especially like the casting of Bai Li Han (William Feng) - he has the deep, villainous voice that fits his role. Oh, and the male lead playing two different personalities was kind of cool too.
I'm a bit undecided on how I feel about the series as a whole. I thought the beginning was great, the plot development was good (up until a point) but the ending... a complete cop out. It's a fantasy world so it's open to interpretation, but if you follow the storyline you get to one conclusion; if you follow context clues, you get to another. (Pay attention to the appearance of the glowing flying fish - about as much as I can say without giving away my own interpretation of the ending)
Watch if you like fantasy/wuxia, skip if you don't.
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The story is well executed; the premise is pretty well thought out and has tons of potential for prequel/sequels. There aren't any huge plot holes bothering me, although the ending was a bit upsetting (but who knows, maybe season 2 might develop on it a little? there's always hope.) The series didn't drag on either, it was engaging and strong from start to...almost the finish. Not the best ending, but not the worst either.
I thought the acting was extremely good - particularly with Gu Xuan Wu (Wang Yan Lin) - he plays out the role of a boisterous and ambitious commander very well and throws in comedic relief in an otherwise dark setting. Chen Yao (Yue Qi Luo) also plays the role of a creepy little girl very well (not sure if that's a compliment?... think girl from the ring.) She delivers an unsettling feeling just by looking into the camera. Although the rest of the cast all played their roles well, these two in particular stood out to me in conveying and developing the story-line.
Although I'm far from a cinematography buff, I also want to add that the scenes were all very beautifully shot, color is juxtaposed very well. If I have to pick out one thing I don't like, it would be the cgi, but since they're emulating the supernatural that's forgivable. Extra points for not having the cheesy wuxia fight scenes I grew up watching.
Nothing in particular stood out about the music, the creepy little witch laugh did get a bit old towards the end, but in general most of the score went well with what was going on on the screen. Honestly, one of the best series I've watched in a while, since I've pretty much been sticking to rom-coms and the like due to reasons I mentioned in the first paragraph. Maybe because I only recently finished the series, I don't feel a pressing urge to rewatch it - yet. Definitely give it a go if you like fantasy or a good story, and still give it a chance if you are apprehensive about bad cg ruining things like I am.
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It's hard for me to think of this as a "drama" - it's more so an interesting view at the contemporary Chinese woman. This series dabbles a bit into the misogyny that the Chinese are known for - roles women should play in society, the value of a daughter, etc. It also looks at the vanity some women have, and the emphasis placed on it in asia - how important it is to have a house, a car, brand name bags and clothes. *disclaimer: I lived with a bunch of "wealthy second generation" chinese students who got sent overseas for college, it's a pretty accurate portrayal based on what I've seen*
These elements, combined with incredible writing and character development made this one of the best dramas I've had the pleasure of sitting through. Each girl is unique and has their respective strengths and weaknesses, and after sitting through their struggles, you end up loving them, hating them, pitying them and feeling good for them, all excellently slated together in a way that warms your heart. (I also liked how some of them had legit Shanghai accents too)
I will note though, there really isn't a male lead - the male roles you see (Wang Kai, the guy who plays Wei Wei, Jin Dong) all play reoccurring supporting roles. This came off as a bit odd at first to me, because I am accustomed to having male/female leads, but it really doesn't detract from the show at all.
Apparently they've decided to do another season (at least from what I could see doing a quick google search) using the exact same cast, so you won't have to worry much about the series' somewhat open ended ending.
This looked like it would be boring, and I honestly gave it a watch just because I saw Jiang Xin - but this is probably one of the few dramas I've watched that go over 40 eps where I didn't skip through some dialogue because I ended up losing interest in a particular character. Absolutely worth watching!
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The plot-line is pretty good, but they really should have stuck to the book this series was allegedly adapted from (the whole villain controlling villain thing got taken too far, got a bit draggy) but the ending leaves room for a season 2, so I'm excited and on board for it. I don't want to give anything away, but it's short enough that the draggy-ness of the series doesn't get annoying.
Since Wallace Huo is in this, it's pretty hard for me to notice other cast members - and I'm a straight guy. The man's incredible - minus the whole speaking Chinese to Americans and having them all understand perfectly bit. I will say that the female lead is a bit awkward at times, though.
The music choice can be cute at times - to demarcate the couple cute "eyebleach" moments scattered throughout the series to get your mind off the gruesome killings that happened just a couple minutes ago. Thriller/Psychological themes are also on point, when appropriate.
I wouldn't really rewatch it, since after watching it once the "whodunnit" kind of goes away, and the intrigue is gone. But absolutely worth watching, the first time.
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