From start to finish, this drama felt like a chess game where events unfolded because they were planned in order to illicit a specific outcome. It is strategies that not just take you from point A to point B (like most dramas) but to point C, D, E and beyond!

With flying swords at a flick of a finger and swirling waters with a wave of a hand, this drama satisfied me with a myriad of martial arts experts and their respective skills beautifully brought to the screen with decent cgi.

The ML’s father is a master strategist and though the ML doesn’t see eye to eye with him, the ML comes to terms with the reasons behind his father’s long term plan. It is a sad revelation how his father had to hold back on revenge, in order not to waste the efforts of all the lives lost in order to bring peace to the country.

Cinematography was gorgeous and I love the sceneries and settings. The pacing was leisurely allowing you to take in and enjoy the drama like a piece of art. While this was good in the beginning, I soon found it a bit tiring waiting for certain scenes to move along.

The ML is extremely lucky - he can pick up martial arts easily as he is gifted and also manages to come across many characters who end up saving his life on numerous occasions! The ML proves to be a chip of the old block with his fair share of strategies and long term planning, desperately wanting to not do things his father’s way but at times, ends up doing just that.

Unfortunately, the romance was muted with it barely visible most of the time and only had one touching moment when he had to part with her.