VelvetLady852
Land of Pristine Beaches & Friendly Folks
A good mix of political intrigue, wuxia and romance
This series combines political intrigue, wuxia, and romance, three elements that I like in a costume drama. I have friends who recommended it, and it's one of the top 2022 dramas, so I dived into it.
Things that I like, which kept me engaged throughout the series:
• Political intrigue, strategizing, revelation of each mystery, and how the leads outsmarted their enemies.
• Smart and strategic ML and FL, who have connections in both jiang hu (pugilistic world) and chao ting (government/political world).
• Both ML and FL are very skilled in martial arts and fights really well!
• Yang Yang’s portrayal of Hei Feng Xi/Feng Lan Xi – overall, a very good performance by YY. The drama gives a lot of focus to HFX/FLX’s character development, since many of the political intrigues and actions happened in his domain.
• Zhao Lu Si as Bai Feng Xi/Feng Xi Yun – ZLS also did well here; however, I felt that YY had more room to show his acting ability. But thankfully, the drama eventually gave focus to her side of the story, and she really shined in the latter part of the drama.
• There is mutual trust and respect between the ML and FL, and I like that there is not so much drama and misunderstanding between them. I also like how they supported each other and faced challenges as a couple.
• Well-choreographed fight scenes and grand battle scenes.
• Great costume design – they’re colorful and there is great attention to detail, especially those worn by HFX/FLX.
• OST that fit the drama, especially the opening theme, “Unparalleled”, sung Liu Yu Ning.
Other comments:
• Chemistry between the leads – their romance is sweet and slow-burn, and I like their banter and humor, but it didn’t affect me in the same way (i.e., having that swoon-worthy feeling) as the other dramas where YY and ZLS were paired with other actors, e.g., Love Like the Galaxy, Love O2O, Fireworks of My Heart, etc.
• The last few episodes felt a bit rushed, but they still manage to wrap things up.
• The ending is more or less what I expected, so I wasn’t caught off guard too much, except for a few unexpected things.
Overall, I really enjoyed this drama, so I highly recommend it, especially if you like political/court intrigue, wuxia and romance.
Things that I like, which kept me engaged throughout the series:
• Political intrigue, strategizing, revelation of each mystery, and how the leads outsmarted their enemies.
• Smart and strategic ML and FL, who have connections in both jiang hu (pugilistic world) and chao ting (government/political world).
• Both ML and FL are very skilled in martial arts and fights really well!
• Yang Yang’s portrayal of Hei Feng Xi/Feng Lan Xi – overall, a very good performance by YY. The drama gives a lot of focus to HFX/FLX’s character development, since many of the political intrigues and actions happened in his domain.
• Zhao Lu Si as Bai Feng Xi/Feng Xi Yun – ZLS also did well here; however, I felt that YY had more room to show his acting ability. But thankfully, the drama eventually gave focus to her side of the story, and she really shined in the latter part of the drama.
• There is mutual trust and respect between the ML and FL, and I like that there is not so much drama and misunderstanding between them. I also like how they supported each other and faced challenges as a couple.
• Well-choreographed fight scenes and grand battle scenes.
• Great costume design – they’re colorful and there is great attention to detail, especially those worn by HFX/FLX.
• OST that fit the drama, especially the opening theme, “Unparalleled”, sung Liu Yu Ning.
Other comments:
• Chemistry between the leads – their romance is sweet and slow-burn, and I like their banter and humor, but it didn’t affect me in the same way (i.e., having that swoon-worthy feeling) as the other dramas where YY and ZLS were paired with other actors, e.g., Love Like the Galaxy, Love O2O, Fireworks of My Heart, etc.
• The last few episodes felt a bit rushed, but they still manage to wrap things up.
• The ending is more or less what I expected, so I wasn’t caught off guard too much, except for a few unexpected things.
Overall, I really enjoyed this drama, so I highly recommend it, especially if you like political/court intrigue, wuxia and romance.
Was this review helpful to you?
