Lalaelyn

So Good at First, Then a Bit Messy

The cinematography, chemistry, pacing, story (up to episode 20-ish), everything is top-notch. Watching this drama really made me excited for what comes next, and I was always eagerly waiting for new episodes. The female and male leads are also really good-looking. The CGI is just okay.
But in the later episodes, the story kinda goes downhill. There are a lot of plot holes, and many things are left unexplained. I even ended up reading the novel because I wanted answers, and it turns out they changed a lot of things in the drama. Maybe it’s because they had to fit everything into 40 episodes, but it ends up feeling incomplete.

In the novel, the main “traitor” is actually Fan Changyu’s maternal grandfather. Her father marries into her mother’s family and is also involved in the grandfather’s betrayal. But her mother still stays with him despite that, which makes Fan Changyu believe her father is innocent.
Meanwhile, in the drama, her father is the main “traitor”, and she believes he’s innocent because of how her parents act toward each other. Like??? Love can be blind, and maybe her mother is just a lovesick fool. The novel makes a lot more sense.
When Xie Zheng finds out that Fan Changyu is the traitor’s daughter, he just accepts it. In the novel, you can really feel his inner turmoil, and he even tries to stay away from her.
Another thing I didn’t like in the drama is the lashing scene. It was carried out by Wen Yan. He even had the audacity to point fingers at Fan Changyu’s father, while knowing he’s the real reason why everything happened. In the novel the punishment was carried out by a retainer of the Xie family under Xie Zheng’s orders. He punished himself first before getting back together with Fan Changyu.
And the final battle… that’s it?? It only lasts like 10 minutes. They also did Fan Changyu dirty. She actually fights in the novel, unlike in the drama.
Fan Changyu was adopted by Grand Tutor Tao to elevate her background, and they even have a fight because of this. But after they return to the capital, somehow it’s never mentioned?
After the final battle, General Meng was given a title. But who is he? Why is he relevant? If I didn’t read the novel, I wouldn’t know why.
There are a lot more plot holes and things I dislike, but I’m too lazy to list them all. It’s such a pity they didn’t cut down Fan Changyu’s gang or the second couple’s screen time to fix these issues.
Despite all that, it’s still a good drama, and I’d recommend it.

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Beautifully Shot, Narratively Fragile

You don’t need to question the aesthetic and cinematography of this director, but as usual, you should question the plot hahaha.
I love this drama, all characters are interesting, and I like how Lu Wuyi-Ji Ling and Wu Wangyan-Wu Shuguang’s stories are equally good (side-eyeing MJTY). The actors’ acting is so good, I think so far this is Ju Jingyi’s best role, she suits Lu Wuyi so much. The music is on point. The CGI in the earlier episodes was so bad, only getting better in the final episodes. This drama is so good it made me binge-watch it. But I hate how the plot holes seem so obvious, like they don’t care as long as the cinematography is good.
SPOILER
-I still don’t understand the twin butterfly demons. At first I thought they became Yan Wuhuo (they became one). Then there’s a scene where the twins’ image overlapped with Li Jie and Yan Wuhuo (in the illusion world), I thought it implied that they’re the twins. But then the scene shows the general died and he can come back to life because of the butterfly demon’s cocoon, and Yan Wuhuo also came into being, so I’m back to square one. At the end it was revealed that they’re both born from the original Yan Wuhuo’s obsession. So where are the butterfly demons? It’s kinda confusing.
-Well, talking about the butterfly demon, at the beginning they always talk with their hand in front of their mouth, but later they don’t do that anymore and there’s no difference. I thought some catastrophe would happen if they opened their mouths freely, so I guess it was just for show? To look mysterious maybe hahaha.
-The weasel’s father suddenly appears and saves the day. No one questions how he can be there? And when the others come out of the illusion and see the weasel crying while holding his father’s stick, without the weasel explaining anything they somehow know that his father sacrificed himself and fought Jiu Ying’s fragment?
-When Lu Wuyi told her rewind story to Ji Ling, we saw her grab black clothes (similar to what she wore when she stole the manuscript). But in the later flashback, she’s wearing white clothes in the 1st-18th rewinds. Then in the last rewind scene (I suppose the real rewind) she’s wearing black.
-Lu Wuyi severed her tails so she could talk to Ji Ling as a doll. It wasn’t explained how many/which tail she cut. The scene was also kinda vague, at first I thought she was gonna cut them all, but then in the next frame she was sitting on the floor and we could still see her tails.
-The height differences between Lu Wuyi and Ji Ling are inconsistent. Sometimes she only reaches his shoulder, sometimes she’s taller than that. It’s not a modern drama where we can see the character wearing high heels or flat shoes.
-After Ji Ling successfully removed Lu Wuyi from the original timeline, what happened to him in the original timeline then? We saw him trying to kill himself (prevented by Lu Wuyi, but now there’s no Lu Wuyi), so I guess he survived because he has dragon scale inside him. But why do people act like he doesn’t exist? Lu Wuyi’s timeline is only 50 years ago, and Ji Ling has become the dragon lord for more than 50 years. So what happened then?
-At the ending, Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi (seemingly) go to another timeline/universe. Are they having amnesia? Are they born again and starting anew as babies with no memories? Because they seem like they don’t know each other.

There are many more plot holes that I haven't listed, and many of them actually (imo) impact the main story, not just unnecessary plot holes like the height difference. Go ahead and watch it and just ignore the inconsistency of the story. And for people who say there’re no plot holes and that you just have to focus on watching the story, there are plot holes, okay. Plenty of them aren’t explained well even in the final episode. Stop glorifying this producer. He’s good at cinematography, but he doesn't really care about the plot, just like his other dramas.

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A Visually Stunning Drama with a Few Weak Spots

As a fan of this genre, I love this drama. The cinematography is soooo good, it gives Western series vibes. The lighting, makeup, outfits, angles, action, romance, everything is perfect.
Dilraba and Chen Xingxu are really suitable for this drama. They're so beautiful, and their features look so good together. Their chemistry is also good, and the romance is just perfect for the drama. So I don't get why some people say the drama is too focused on their romance, because it's not. And the way they fall in love is also not out of nowhere. If you go through danger together several times and the other person is also attractive, I think you're bound to have some feelings.
The pace is just right, it doesn't drag on but is also not rushed (except the ending). It makes me feel curious about what happens next and eager to watch the next episode.
I really like their fight in the earlier episodes. That was so hot. And I love their villains, Aunt Lin and Xiong Hei. Aunt Lin really gives you an eerie feeling while also being gorgeous at the same time.
This drama isn't without flaws. The good guy side seems useless, especially compared to the villain side. Some people who read the novel said that in the novel they're not that useless. And some things aren't explained clearly in the drama, but I can get past that since they don't really impact the drama overall. I can still enjoy it. Probably because they have to fit everything into 32 episodes.
The CGI could be better for the monster. Then the final battle feels rushed, I kinda expected more.
It's still very enjoyable to watch.

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