Sword and Fairy 4 was not a drama I expected to like as much as I did. In the beginning, it was light-hearted and silly, and I didn't expect it to become as deep and impactful as it was later on. For me, the highlight of this drama is the friendship between the four main characters. What made me almost drop it---and I'm glad I didn't---was Tianhe's naivety which was a bit much at first for me, but he does become more experienced while never losing his innocence which is the core trait of his character. As for Lingsha, I found her stealing the sword was unjust after Tianhe beared how much it meant to him, but even she has her reasons and I do love the morally gray situation she had on her hands. All the characters grew on me and so did the story.

Plot:

It had a good balance of light-heartedness and angst. It's never too bleak nor is it ever so light-hearted that it's without conflict. The main focus of the plot is about Tianhe learning about his parents and what happened 19 years ago, both to understand them and clear their names. We have Lingsha, his first friend, who schemingly convinces him to go down the mountain with her and pursue the past and then his two friends Mengli and Ziying who he meets along the way to accompany him for their own reasons. In the first half, they go on a journey, they come across the story of others that reflect and foreshadow their own as well as work as trials to test their friendship. It's rewarding to see their friendship grow and strengthen, and it hits hard when their friendship is in question.

While every side story contributed in some way to the bigger story, they came across very detached from them. It didn't have a long-lasting impact on them as characters. It felt like they became the side characters to the side characters. They swoop in the middle of a conflict, fix a problem, earned an item and some info, and move on, exactly like a side quest. Not surprising since this is adapted from a video game. It's very plot-driven. The character development comes from the main story while the detached side quest are complementary to this. I would consider the story a plot-driven vehicle, a seat behind would be friendship, family, character development, and chilling in the back is romance.

Characters:

The main four characters were endearing in their own ways and they all struggle with their own problems and develop through the course of the story. We watch Tianhe learn friendship and love, and see the world both good and bad and still retain his pure heart. Chen Zhe Yuan was able to capture Tianhe's emotions and give us a heartfelt performance. Lingsha is a character you get off to a bad start with until you begin to sympathize with her. She's in an impossible situation between family and friendship. It's heartbreaking to see her hide her pain behind a smile, especially during the end of the series. Lingsha is certainly my favorite character by Ju Jingyi. She did a good job of bringing Lingsha to life with every expression from start to finish. Mengli and Ziying made the quartet whole. They're both supportive and put their friendship first before themselves. Su Yao and Xuan Xiao make formidable antagonist that can make anyone's blood boil.

Relationships:

I love Tianhe, Lingsha, Mengli, and Ziying. Watching their interactions gives me warm fuzzy feelings, and make this drama comfort drama for me.

The romance between Tianhe and Lingsha was slow and sweet. I did question if there was romance at first since it was such a small part. It was adorable seeing Tianhe pick up Lingsha's mannerisms and acting like two little kids at times, but they were lacking romantic moments throughout. I can't tell if Tianhe or Ziying had more deep moments with Lingsha. They did have enough that the pairing seemed genuine, but it would have been nice to have more moments.

Mengli supports Lingsha and Tianhe so well in romance that I was taken aback when she admitted to having feelings for Tianhe, especially because she smiles like a winner when the main leads are having a romantic moment. In the beginning, I didn't realize Ziying had romantic feelings either, but it becomes obvious despite it never being said from the way his ice cube exterior thaws around Lingsha. I think it shows how much they care for their friendship to the point of letting go and supporting their crushes, but it's also tragic to see Ziying sad. Mengli and Ziying are one of a kind.

Overview:

The story is fun and gets better and heavier the deeper you go. It's plot-driven, has character development, an adorable romance but lacking in romantic moments, and a heartwarming friendship between the four main characters.