EPIC Storytelling Worth Your Patience

This drama is deceptive, esp. if you grew up on CGI/lowest common demoninator storytelling. The screenwriter/director is in this for long haul - three Seasons, and that gives you an amazing amount of time to tell a story right. Consequently, that's why you'll read reviews that say there's not enough fighting or "is it a wuxia?" or "where's the romance?"

Look closer. There is great fighting, eventually romance and omg yes it's a Wuxia/Xianxia.

I want to look back at the end of Season 3 and see all the overlayed spider webs and the long, long road it took to find the right kind of love & partner (and to find a third option). This is one of the few dramas where I didn't read ahead to protect my heart & allowed them to play me, and I was so very glad I did.

I figured out around Episode 6\7 that *I* was a participant in this drama: they play your assumptions and knowledge of tropes constantly. By the end you're suspecting every mention of a character - even if you didn't see them...or if you do see them, you'll be asking *who* sent them and what is their role for which side?

Like...a new character is introduced in the last 2\3 episodes that I KNOW will show back up in Season 2\3 to probably go against our ML for the sole reason that he's going to become the very thing this person is trying to stop - even though he's currently an ally.

The ML's Jianghu progress, fight scenes, cultivation, honoring a friend, schemes....it all feels like wuxias in the vein of Legend of Condor Heroes or Journey to the West. But...I think this drama has more heart & soul.

I'm a barely passable writer and thus, a story snob. I'm horribly picky about stories. While researching how to write a fight scene, I came across a great explanation by R.A. Salvatore. He dissected that amazing fight scene in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon where Michelle Yeoh grabs a long, heavy weapon that she can't lift. So she drags it across the floor until they both kinda laugh about it. Her action has a greater purpose: the give YOU a chance to stop, breathe and process the action.

There is a scene towards the end (which I will not spoil for you but I want you to remember to look for it): ML is on a quest to honor a friend and retrieve something. He and this friend sang a song while tapping a beat. The song will cause the hair on your neck to stand up shockingly straight. It's haunting and tells much about a swordsman at the end of his days. The retrieval comes smack in the middle of a hella fight scene *and* assassination attempt #1,947 (no, but it feels like it).

The action comes to a screeching halt for our ML to sit down and beat that rhythm on the item. And gives you a chance to cry along with him.

Then we're back in the hella fight scene. The same technique in CTHD: stop and give your brain a chance to process the action.

That attention to classic wuxia storytelling has kinda been lost in our gradual decline in making, basically, Nickelodeon Wuxias for a Tik Tok generation (and why I pink puffy heart LOVE the cast and crew of Blood of Youth for setting out the right the ship and TELL BETTER STORIES WITH BETTER ACTION).

The only thing that really bugged me about this is the FL is....they really didn't do her justice, esp. as I hear the FL in the novel is a bad ass.....this FL just seemed pouty and whiney most of the time. Consequently, I think she will not be in the sequel.

There are also a couple of borderline cheesy proclamations by our ML - complete with stirring background music - that we could have probably done a bit better job....but it really doesn't distract from the overall "I see what you're doing here" of it all.

Our ML is all about connections: at the end of this, tally up all the Masters\teachers\Sects\Kingdom alliances this guy is making for himself and Beiliang. Then count up how many cdramas take the time to tell a layered story like this (Nirvana in Fire, Story of Ming Lan and The Story of Yangxi Palace come to mind fairly quickly. Otherwise....????)

So, in my opinion, don't really listen to all the "meh" reviews out there. Carefully look at what they are setting up....hang in there for all *three* Seasons....and look back at it all at the end.

I think you'll be glad you gave it a chance.

Read More