Naomi Necro
United States
Wu Lei & Zhao Lusi's best drama. OST, lighting, cinematography, etc.
I haven't been this invested in a 40+ episode cdrama since I watched The Untamed.
Every aspect of this drama is gorgeously done.
Cinematography, lighting, fight scene choreography, acting, instrumental OST, pacing, story - it's all so rich and wonderfully done. I found myself practically frothing at the mouth, waiting for each episode and deep diving into the MDL discussion section with everyone else as we invested our time and emotions into the nuance of each episode.
The cast is perfect. Everyone (especially the Cheng family, Emperor Wen, and Ling Buyi) is perfectly cast. I've been a huge Wu Lei stan for a long time, but this drama is my favorite of his (Crossfire is a close 2nd). Same for Zhao Lusi. The chemistry within the Cheng family between CSS and her brothers and Yang Yang is wonderful to watch; the chemistry between Qiu Fei, Qiu Qi, and Ling Buyi is always a fantastic ice breaker for more somber scenes, Qi Qi and Cheng Song are cute, and Ling Buyi and CSS have a natural and fiery chemistry that I adore. It's difficult for me to describe how perfect this drama is for me eloquently. I wish MDL didn't force the series to be split into two parts so the discussion board and ratings can stay combined because I adore the ravings of all of our LLTG fanatics in one spot, haha.
**Don't get put off by the slower pacing from Ep 1-7. While it might seem painstaking if you're impatient, world-building is meticulously done for a good reason. By the end of Part 1, you're so invested in the story precisely because it took its time explaining the complexity of each character's personality to a point where unspoken glances speak volumes to you because you understand the nuance of each character and backstory so well. It makes the drama and your investment in it that much more meaningful. I also perused the lower ratings listed and couldn't disagree more with their lazy observations. If you went into this drama with the expectation that it's going to be fast-paced - when right off the bat, you could see it's slated for 56 episodes- you're mistaken. This isn't a 10-episode limited drama. This is a series that has to honor a widely popular book that has a *lot* of content to cover, and for anyone to give a crap, the production needs to put in a lot of effort for us to *understand* and *know* the world our characters live in. You're sorely mistaken if you expect to just jump into the deep end for a long, fiery, ridiculous battle. This is a slow burn (and burn, it surely does!).
Every aspect of this drama is gorgeously done.
Cinematography, lighting, fight scene choreography, acting, instrumental OST, pacing, story - it's all so rich and wonderfully done. I found myself practically frothing at the mouth, waiting for each episode and deep diving into the MDL discussion section with everyone else as we invested our time and emotions into the nuance of each episode.
The cast is perfect. Everyone (especially the Cheng family, Emperor Wen, and Ling Buyi) is perfectly cast. I've been a huge Wu Lei stan for a long time, but this drama is my favorite of his (Crossfire is a close 2nd). Same for Zhao Lusi. The chemistry within the Cheng family between CSS and her brothers and Yang Yang is wonderful to watch; the chemistry between Qiu Fei, Qiu Qi, and Ling Buyi is always a fantastic ice breaker for more somber scenes, Qi Qi and Cheng Song are cute, and Ling Buyi and CSS have a natural and fiery chemistry that I adore. It's difficult for me to describe how perfect this drama is for me eloquently. I wish MDL didn't force the series to be split into two parts so the discussion board and ratings can stay combined because I adore the ravings of all of our LLTG fanatics in one spot, haha.
**Don't get put off by the slower pacing from Ep 1-7. While it might seem painstaking if you're impatient, world-building is meticulously done for a good reason. By the end of Part 1, you're so invested in the story precisely because it took its time explaining the complexity of each character's personality to a point where unspoken glances speak volumes to you because you understand the nuance of each character and backstory so well. It makes the drama and your investment in it that much more meaningful. I also perused the lower ratings listed and couldn't disagree more with their lazy observations. If you went into this drama with the expectation that it's going to be fast-paced - when right off the bat, you could see it's slated for 56 episodes- you're mistaken. This isn't a 10-episode limited drama. This is a series that has to honor a widely popular book that has a *lot* of content to cover, and for anyone to give a crap, the production needs to put in a lot of effort for us to *understand* and *know* the world our characters live in. You're sorely mistaken if you expect to just jump into the deep end for a long, fiery, ridiculous battle. This is a slow burn (and burn, it surely does!).
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