1
Great wuxia action let down by rushed ending
Let me just start by saying the action sequences in this show a top notch 10 out of 10. The action sequences are why I rated this show high for rewatch value. I have already rewatched two of the fight scenes multiple times before I finished the drama.
It is a pure old- school wuxia. No green screen or visual effects. Just people with skills and wire work and a whole lot of practice and devotion. They do not make many shows like this anymore. Kudos to cast and crew. But if your preference is pretty cg-enhanced action, you will probably find this plain.
The old-school vibe carries over to the characters too. This is a spin-off of the old Justice Bao and Seven Heroes and Five Gallants stories. The two MLs are exactly as they should be. I love that the show respected the characters and did not change them for the modern audience. Zhan Zhao is a government official. His job is to bring villain to justice by rule of law not to kill them. Bai Yu Tong is the jiang-wu hero who exerts justice unbound by rules. For me, the casting and acting and characterizations and constrast of these two are 10 out of 10. But if your preference is instant jiang-wu justice (i.e. encounter villain - kill villain), this show is probably not for you either.
Where the show lose points for me is the story and pacing. I prefer my mysteries to give clues so I can solve it along with the characters even if it's predictable. I do not like rushed expositions that serves as info-dump. I hate unresolved/unexplained plot points.
This show has one overarching plot that can be subdivided into about four cases each unmasking a major helper of main villain. The first two cases took 2/3 of the show. Some people find the early section slow, but for me, that was the right pace. They find clues, investigate, fight some bad guys, then find new clues till the case is solved.
The last two cases were cramped into less than 10 episodes. There was no time for clues, so they either make it super obvious or just told you the solution. The ending is the worst. They cram everything into one episode and don't explain key plot points. It literally made me go "huh? what happened?". If I had to rate episodes 1-28, it would be a 9.5-10. If I had to rate 1-36, it dropped to a 9. Rating 1-37 made it go down to a 8.5.
Still, the cast chemistry is amazing and I would happily watch another season of the same cast going on another adventure.
It is a pure old- school wuxia. No green screen or visual effects. Just people with skills and wire work and a whole lot of practice and devotion. They do not make many shows like this anymore. Kudos to cast and crew. But if your preference is pretty cg-enhanced action, you will probably find this plain.
The old-school vibe carries over to the characters too. This is a spin-off of the old Justice Bao and Seven Heroes and Five Gallants stories. The two MLs are exactly as they should be. I love that the show respected the characters and did not change them for the modern audience. Zhan Zhao is a government official. His job is to bring villain to justice by rule of law not to kill them. Bai Yu Tong is the jiang-wu hero who exerts justice unbound by rules. For me, the casting and acting and characterizations and constrast of these two are 10 out of 10. But if your preference is instant jiang-wu justice (i.e. encounter villain - kill villain), this show is probably not for you either.
Where the show lose points for me is the story and pacing. I prefer my mysteries to give clues so I can solve it along with the characters even if it's predictable. I do not like rushed expositions that serves as info-dump. I hate unresolved/unexplained plot points.
This show has one overarching plot that can be subdivided into about four cases each unmasking a major helper of main villain. The first two cases took 2/3 of the show. Some people find the early section slow, but for me, that was the right pace. They find clues, investigate, fight some bad guys, then find new clues till the case is solved.
The last two cases were cramped into less than 10 episodes. There was no time for clues, so they either make it super obvious or just told you the solution. The ending is the worst. They cram everything into one episode and don't explain key plot points. It literally made me go "huh? what happened?". If I had to rate episodes 1-28, it would be a 9.5-10. If I had to rate 1-36, it dropped to a 9. Rating 1-37 made it go down to a 8.5.
Still, the cast chemistry is amazing and I would happily watch another season of the same cast going on another adventure.
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