Overall, this Chinese drama was well-made and it didn't have as much cringy scenes as other Chinese dramas. The production values, dialogues, and CGIs were great quality. Now, onto the storyline, the story started out interesting, hooking us in with young leads. The young leads were so cute and honestly, I always looked forward to the flashback in the beginning of each episode because we were able to connect with the characters and how they grew over the years. I liked the first half of the series, when the leads were building relationships step by step and getting closer to one another. But for the second half of the series, the writing somehow changed direction, there were so many plot holes. Especially ep 24, it was totally unnecessary and the biggest plot hole was when Helen was able to see during day times. Then, ep 25 rolled around, the ending felt out of place and rushed. Not only the drama finished with a huge cliffhanger but the leads were pretty much strangers in the end. I don't know if the series renew for a season 2 because if not, I'm really disappointed. The ending could be nicely wrapped up if only PiPi's ex-boyfriend and her "best friend" did not take up much screentime (I always skipped whenever they popped up on the screen).
All in all, this drama would be in my top 20 favorite Chinese drama because of the plot, pacing, and chemistry but I don't think I will rewatch it anytime soon.

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Legend of Fuyao is a great complex story with an amazing cast of actors and actresses. The story is filled with action sequences, beautiful cinematography, and stunning costumes (seriously, Yang mi alone had about 100 costumes for this drama). As usual, Yang Mi never failed with her acting and kept me captivated for the entire drama. In terms of the cast, I found myself another treasure to keep my eyes on: Ethan Juan. This is my first time watching a drama of Ethan and I AM IN LOVE with how talented this guy is! His acting is superb, he really fits into the character and I don't think I can imagine anyone playing Wuji other than Ethan. Ethan has a unique charm, he is not the most handsome actor but he is so attractive. The highlight of his acting can be seen in the last episode, all the acting look so realistic. I read somewhere that both Yang Mi and Ethan were about to faint from acting out the last climax in the plot (https://mobile.twitter.com/yangmifuyao/status/1011029108292182016?lang=en).

Moving onto the actual plot, I really liked the first 30 episodes. It was when the story was setting up, the pace was moving along in a good speed. The story took place in Taiyuan Kingdom. The two lead characters slowly came together and started to work together against the common enemy. Both Fuyao and Wuji were super witty and were able to outsmart many times. Then, after Taiyuan Kingdom, the story took place in Tianquan Kingdom, the story continued with excellent pacing and the plot thickened. But the part where the drama began to slow down was during Tiansha Kingdom. It became draggy maybe because the focus of the drama shifted from the adventures of the two leads to the second lead couple (Zhan Beiye and Yalan Zhu). I liked the second lead couple but their relationship of how they came together was very questionable. Their relationship don't seem as genuine compared to Wuji and Fuyao and I felt like their relationship was forced. I was not convinced how Zhan Beiye suddenly turn 180 degree and started like Yalan Zhu after she partially sacrificed herself. After that, the story journeyed to Xuanji Kingdom. I liked this kingdom better than Tiansha but nothing really stood out to me as much as Taiyuan. Personally, I wished that we had more screen time for Xuanji because I would liked to see Fuyao as the queen for a longer period of time. The title of this drama is Legend of Fuyao but it really is an understatement at time because Wuji had to rescue Fuyao most of the times and she was always getting hurt for the stupidest reasons. Last but not least, the ending! Legend of Fuyao has an open ending but the leads are alive and happy nonetheless. I still wish that the drama follows the novel's ending since I read that the novel ends with Wuji and Fuyao married with 3 kids (how adorable would that be!!!). In conclusion, the drama would be so much better if the writers shorten parts of Tiansha's story arc to give more time for the ending and an epilogue to explain to what happen to all the kingdoms and their friends.

Overall, this is one of my favorite historical Chinese drama of this year along with Nirvana in Fire 2. All actors are phenomonal and I hope Ethan and Yang Mi win awards for their amazing acting. Also, shoutout to English subbers on Viki, you guys are the best!

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