rapo65
First of all, I am a huge fan of the book. I became so obsessed with the book, that I have read it 3 times in less that 2 months. When I found out that the book will be turned into a drama, I couldn't have been more happy. I was literally stalking this site, wikipedia, weibo etc so I can get more information about the drama, trailers, music etc. The OST of the drama has been on repeat way before the drama aired.
Long story short, let's discuss about the drama.
1) Plot: what I liked about the drama in comparison to the book, is that some aspects was presented better. We get to know the stories behind our characters, we get to understand the reason for their action and the consequences for their actions. At first I liked that they kinda respected the flow of the actions like in the book, then I got a bit disappointed that they chose to add things that weren't in the book. Sometimes I felt that the flow of the action became a bit boring, so I skipped some scenes ( ex. side character's scenes). Other times I felt that they exaggerated a bit the stories behind some of the characters. I suppose they did this to enhance the melodramatic feeling of the drama. Maybe I wanted them to follow a bit more close the book, that's why i rated the story 9.5.
What I didn't like also, was the fact that they created a weaker Phoenix in the drama. I missed the Phoenix from the book. In comparison to him, Night's character has a better development, but he also became more cruel and heart-less. Jin Mi on the other hand was smarter and kinder, and much more adorable.
Overall the story is amazing, it really captures your heart, but still, it didn't impress me as much as in the book. In the book I felt all that angst, the pain, all the power of their love. Here in the drama, their love was god-like indeed, but I didn't get the same feeling of authenticity as in the book.
2) Acting: Overall, the acting was good, though like other people said, Deng Lun was not so immersed in his character. He didn't succeed to convince me all the time of the authenticity of his feelings. But he looked exactly like the Phoenix in the book :)) Yang Zi is really really talented. She indeed was the perfect choice for Jin Mi. I consider also that the actor that played Run Yu did a better job than Deng Lun. Regardin The other actors, I especially liked the actors that played Moon God and Master Puchi. These 2 bring liveliness to the show.
3) OST: AMAZING!!!!!!! The best OST in a chinese drama ever! Especially the beginning and the ending songs. When I first heard the beginning song, one month before the drama started to air, I fell in love instantly. Ever since it has been on my repeat list.
4) GCI: 10/10. In comparison to other chinese dramas, they invested a lot in CGI. The scene of the battle is the most amazing scene of the whole drama in my opinion, is EPIC! HSALF it's the first drama where I saw such an attention to CGI.
5) Rewatching value: 9.5/10 (mainly because of the draggy moments regarding development of the side characters. I skipped all the scenes between Biacheng Princess and Mu ci and it didn't affect the flow of the action).
6) Overall: with all the flaws, it's still an amazing drama. I literally finished the drama in 3 days and I slept 2-3 hours per night. I cried, I laughed with the characters, I suffered with them, it was like I was living another life together with them. Is this my favorite chinese drama? Unfortunately no, but it's close (Journey of Flower remains still my favorite drama, because the acting and the story were better). So do yourself a favor and watch the drama. You will not be dissappointed.
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