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Story - This story mainly focuses on Wei Wu Xian's journey with Lan Zhan as they undergo hardships and tribulations. Story started off slow with flashbacks as it showed the background story with Wei Wu Xian and Lan Zhan as the leads 16 years ago. Character development was great with smooth transitions in between the scenes. I love the relationship between WWX and LZ in this drama as it was not entirely romance but showed hints of romance between them. Side stories were also great given the limited screentime they had. *Show could have started off better as the first 5-6 episodes were pretty boring and unattractive (Started off with a 4.8 douban rating to a 7.6 rating) Very impressive for a Chinese Drama as most Chinese Dramas don't make it past 7.
Acting/Cast - Most people were skeptical about the cast chosen at first as they thought Xiao Zhan and Yi Bo would not fit the "WWX" and "LZ" roles and hence did not keep their hopes up for this drama. But, after watching the drama, you can see they were really tailor-made for this drama. Xiao Zhan fitted the often mischievous WWX while Yi Bo perfectly portrayed LZ - He was a man of silence but his eyes did the talking.. His eyes were glowing and had a million emotions in there. The other supporting actors were relatively new but did a super good job in supporting the 2 main casts. However, there should be more screen-time for some of the support actors as they played a big role in the novel/anime - For example, Wen Ning.
Music - The OSTs were brilliant, they were on another level.. especially the ones that come up whenever there is a cute scene between WWX and LZ. The OSTs were also made specifically for the show and scenes as the lyrics were completely related to the show - Whenever WWX misses his Senior Sister, the lotus pier and A xian music will be there to make the scene feel nostalgic. Also, the flute and LZ's Guqin OSTs were good too.
Rewatch Value - "Is this drama worth a re-watch?" Yes, I will definitely rewatch the drama from a certain point as the 16 years flashback ends at Ep 33 and I would rewatch the epic moments and probably give the first 6 episodes a miss.
Overall - My favourite C drama (Xianxia) so far followed by Eternal Love - Lived up to it's novel popularity. Never once I would watch a full BL drama but this really blew my mind. Wouldn't mind spending money on it's merch as this drama is truly a masterclass.
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Story - I loved how the story started with a few plot twists up till it's mid point where it's obvious how the drama would end. I also loved how each and everyone in Wan Lu Men has a different and very interesting personality which suits the clan well. However, the storyline could be better if Zhao Yao could still be the old her after getting together with Mo Qing, instead of being a passive and abiding woman, she should just be like the old savage maniac she was last time as she ruled the entire pugilist world.
Acting/Cast - I love Bai Lu's take on Zhao Yao! Her acting was great but I felt her on screen chemistry with Xu Kai could be better. The supporting casts were also super amazing as they perfectly portrayed the weird and strange attitudes and personalities of the different sub-leaders in Wan Lu Men. Bai Lu and Shane did a great job back and forth as each other, really alike. *PS I love Seventeen as she is just so cute and innocent.
Music - Good OST that suits the drama - Not much fault or praise
Rewatch Value - I would watch it only for Zhao Yao's epic kickass moments.
Overall - This drama could have been a much better one with the help of a better team. The ending was somewhat rushed and obvious as you can clearly see what the ending is like mid-way through the drama (expected ending). The plot was meh, CGI wasn't great and the character development and the transition between scenes were average. Overall a decent drama to watch if you have spare time.
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