This review may contain spoilers
FAVE WUXIA THIS YEAR
Compelling from the very beginning, Love a Lifetime hits all the good parts for me. It sticks to its core plot and does not move away from its theme. The writing nor the editing may not be the best, but its unpredictability and the way it set up the characters truly gives this drama an edge.Wuxia has never been my genre because I tend to lose interest halfway through. But that is not the case at all for this drama. I was intrigued from the start, wondered about the main lead’s identity and was quite confused about the plot which motivated me to keep going. The pace is neither fast nor slow, but rather just enough for the necessary events to occur.
It has less frustrating scenes than the usual Chinese historicals and has taken on quite a few fresh tropes. One, it is filled with multi-dimensional characters. It leaves you thinking what the characters' next action will be. A character may seem to be bad, but they could also have a bit of humanity in them. Secondly, misunderstandings that could have easily been developed from the leads' family conflict did not happen. The trust between the main couple is amazing and did not cause a lot of hiccups in the plot. Yes they doubted each other at some point, but overall? They were solid! I definitely salute Rong Hua’s unwavering trust to Nalan Yue. There were many instances that tested their relationship, but they stood strong, which made this a really good one to watch. Third, there is no third party. Initially i thought the fiancée would cause a problem, but nope! She turned out to be good (even helpful) until the end. This drama also did an amazing job with exhibiting different meanings of love. It could be selfless love towards your lover, your own family, or your power.
Its unpredictability is commendable. It took me along with every character, brought me along with their struggles and somehow felt their pain and dilemma. In short, it made me empathize with them. And so eventually, i get to witness how their characters changed because of certain events. I grew to care for the villain that I initially disliked, but also learned to hate a character that I used to love in the beginning. I got to love Dragon Howl City and even hoped for its survival when they faced some threats. And before I knew it, I was already cheering for another sect halfway through.
Let's also not forget how clever the female characters are presented here, most especially Rong Hua. She may not have the best martial art skills but she's smart enough to execute a plan that has always been helpful/successful. She may look fragile, but she's more than that. She knows how to pick herself up against adversity and think of ways to fight her problems.
Acting wise, everyone did not disappoint. Ren Jia Lun's acting has got to be the best thing here. He did a good job, regardless if it's a funny or a dramatic scene. The fighting scenes are also very gratifying to watch. Even the OSTs are amazing !!! They even get better as you watch more episodes lol.
Overall, this has to be one of the better wuxias out there and a personal favourite of mine despite its flaws. I'm the kind of person who values and loves a fresh plot + multi-dimensional characters, hence i think this drama worked really well for me. It successfully kept my interest and I don't think i even got bored at some point.
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I truly think the heart and soul of this drama belongs to Scarlett. Her character exudes "main role" as she racks up screen time. I only kept watching the drama because of her story; also because of the web portal plot. Everything else, mainly the romance, was filler that wasn't needed.
I would rate it 8+, but because of the romance, it sits at a 6. I don't find it re-watchable since half, or more than half, of the story is the main romance.
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Story: The story is actually not as bad as some people say. I loved the story premise, it's different from what you usually get from Korean dramas. It has a lot of backstory but they managed to give it to you bit by bit and not make you bored or hate the overall story. Sure, sometimes the script wasn't the best but the story premise is great!
Acting/Cast/Characters: The acting was definitely great from all the actors and actresses. The chemistry between MaWang and Son Oh Gong, the "bromance", is really enjoyable and brings like 50% of the comedy in the show. Cha Seung Won shined in this drama with the many characteristics MaWang showed and I think it's a great comeback drama for Lee SeungGi. So big compliments to all the main and the supporting actors for showing us so many sides to their characters.
So now to the bad part: The chemistry between LSG and Oh Yeon Seo was well...not good...kinda cold and if this was a normal rom-com I would never have watched 20 episodes with them, definitely not. That's not the fault of OYS though, it was just that her character was really crappy...I mean there has to be a limit to how naive, self-centered and gullible a person can be?! Jin Seon Mi -the character- is the only reason I'm taking some points off here.
Music: The music fit the drama well and I looked up almost all of the songs.
Rewatch: Some scenes definitely but probably not the whole drama...
Overall: Overall this drama had like one main character, Lee Seung Gi and all the others were supporting characters. The drama has a great premise but while it starts off kind of unusual for a Kdrama it turns around at like halftime and goes right into dramaland, which makes it a little bit more boring in the end but bearable. The acting was amazing, character design awesome (except for one) and another thing: it's oh so detailed. I loved it and I would warmly recommend it but let me tell you, if you don't like it after 5-6 episodes drop it. Before that you won't get the right feeling for it and after that you're either into it or you're not.
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A Second Chance Story Destroyed by Stupid Writer and Terrible Director
The drama Rebirth should honestly be renamed Refuck, because watching it feels like being trapped in a loop of the same bad writing, bad decisions, and recycled nonsense again and again.Watch it only if you have too much time, nothing better to do, and a high tolerance for recycled stupidity.
The plot is a mess. The female lead is written as a perpetual damsel in distress who repeatedly sleepwalks into obvious traps, makes foolish decisions, and waits to be rescued again and again. Instead of character growth, we get the same helpless cycle dressed up as drama.
The story also tries to look clever with multiple endings, but they feel less like meaningful narrative choices and more like confused writing. The logic collapses, the tension becomes repetitive, and by the end, it feels like the writers were simply throwing shits at the wall to see what might stick.
For a drama built around rebirth, revenge, and second chances, it somehow manages to waste all three.
What it actually delivers is repetitive stupidity, lazy plotting, fake suspense, and characters who behave as if basic logic is a luxury item they cannot afford.
By the end, the only person who needs rebirth is the viewer, preferably into a timeline where they never started this drama in the first place.
Not recommended unless you genuinely enjoy frustration, weak storytelling, and characters who keep making the same stupid decisions until your patience dies.
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This review may contain spoilers
Love Among the Vast Galaxy of Stars
Love Like the Galaxy: Part 2, or Yue Sheng Cang Hai (月升沧海), is the continuation of the first part of the drama, Xing Han Can Lan (星汉灿烂), with a bit more of a political twist to it. The titles of these two parts are simply gorgeous, as they relate to the shining stars and vast waters of the sea. To be completely honest, I did not even plan to watch Love Like the Galaxy, not expecting the plot to be so gripping, the character development to be so well-rounded. With many veteran actors in this drama, the characters were brought to life, with bright smiles as well as tears to be shed.“If the husband is the sun that brightens the road for thousands of Li way, then the wife would be the star, the brilliant galaxy. The sun, the moon and the galaxy neither is superior or inferior, they’re indispensable. We can only create a world by coexisting."
STORY- 8.5
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While the first part of the drama was focused on Cheng Shaoshang’s journey of getting to know her family members, the second part also highlights Ling Buyi’s path to seeking revenge, with bits of political strife among officials as well. One could perhaps use the term “Star-crossed lovers” on Cheng Shaoshang and Ling Buyi. Although loving and caring towards one another, it was clear that the two did not truly come to understand each other fully in Part 1 of the drama, and Part 2 witnesses the two gaining the full trust of each other and walking towards the frontlines as a duo, and not one person trying to protect the other.
Again, I write that the second part does include more political scenes, which do affect the couple’s relationship. The audience also learns more about Ling Buyi’s past and the path he has decided to take for the future. Being the sole living descendant of the Huo Family other than his mother, he is forced to choose who to protect. Both Ling Buyi and Cheng Shaoshang grew up with minimal love, learning that they had only themselves to rely on. This caused both of them to grow up to become strong-willed people who were determined to do whatever their heart was set on. This, however, also meant that it took much longer for both of them to start trusting other people, and their frustrating stubbornness sometimes caused what you could call unnecessary arguments. The drama undoubtedly has some of the most heartbreaking scenes that were filmed in the most beautiful way, prompting the audience to rewatch specific scenes over and over again.
If you’ve already watched the first part, you probably won’t be able to list many common drama tropes that show up in Love Like the Galaxy, because simply, the director was smart enough to avoid these annoying tropes. No second lead causing unnecessary misunderstandings, no close friend turning evil, and even no fighting in the emperor’s harem. The relationship between Empress Xuan and Consort Yue is so pure and loving. Even if the two did not have many direct interactions, their dialogues are one of the most heart-warming scenes in this drama. Xuan Shen An lived a life of longing, longing for true love, longing for a life without high authoritative power. Unlike other empresses, she isn’t a haughty, all-above woman. Instead, she only hopes for her children to live a happy and free-spirited life, unlike her, bound inside the imperial palace, knowing that Emperor Wen loved another, Consort Yue. But even so, this didn’t hurt the two women’s strong relationship. They treated each other as true sisters, with no scheming and hatred.
The last few episodes were a bit of a drag, with the precedented time skip, but the separation was executed strongly, even with just actions and no dialogue. The last arc, which was about Shaoshang and Zisheng getting back together, was edited a bit messily, putting some more focus on unprecedented side characters. Apparently, 10 episodes were edited out of the series, resulting in the rushness. This was a bit unfortunate as the audience wasn't looking forward to the multiple Ling Buyi-Comes-to-Shaoshang's-Rescue-Again scenes as much as the scenes that focused on the couple's relationship, which was overshadowed by schemes and headstrog leads.
However, even with the numerous tense scenes in Part 2, some comedic scenes were added here and there for bits of laughter. Emperor Wen wins Funniest Man in a Historical Cdrama, no joke. He cared for Ling Buyi as if he was his own son, and was probably the couple’s best matchmaker. It was beautiful how the emperor and his two wives stood up for Zisheng and Shaoshang, as if they were their own children. Empress Xuan was Shaoshang’s quiet resort, her paradise.
CAST - 10
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Again, LLTG is filled with experienced actors, many well-acclaimed in mainland China. The eye candy is a plus, but the emotional expressions on every single one of the actors’ faces were astonishing. Each tear fell at the perfect time, each smile crooked at an angle. Leo Wu’s face was truly terrifying at times, showing the revenge he had to take, his hatred toward those that killed his uncle and the rest of the Huo Family. Zhao Lusi’s Cheng Shaoshang started off as a hyper and chirpy girl, and if you’ve watched a few of her other dramas, is a role that she shines in. However, this girl became a quiet and virtuous young woman as time grew by, and Zhao Lusi brought this time and the experiences that Shaoshang faced to life.
Rather than saying the character development was the most amazing, the development between character relationships was even more phenomenal. More than half of the Part 1 of LLTG had a Xiao Yuanyi that the audience strongly disliked. She was portrayed as a heartless mother who only knew of military punishment, and frankly, this description is not very wrong. However, her estranged relationship with her daughter slowly thawed as she started to show love and care physically, and not just inside of herself. Xiao Yuanyi slowly learned what it meant to have a daughter, and how to truly care for her. This is only one detail of the strong Cheng Family. There is not a single person in the family that does not care for Shaoshang’s well-being, and her parents, siblings, cousin, and even grandmother were always ready to step in front of her, to protect her. In the direst times, even the shy Yang Yang looked the opposing official in the eye, ready to fight.
No team of actors could have executed each scene as intricately as this team did. The audience could feel the heartwrenching pain, not only for the leads but for the supporting characters as well. Each supporting character had their own story, no matter loving or evil. With lovable characters came jealous figures and power-hungry villains.
PRODUCTION- 10
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Although not a formal MDL review category, LLTG’s production is worth mentioning. Each scene is set at a thought-provoking angle, from the bird-eye view of a lone carriage among the grand walls of the palace to the ancient curtains that basked in gentle candlelight. Even the opening to each episode showed figurine scenes of the drama, instrumental and mysterious. As simple as the costumes seemed at first, clothing colors were chosen with care, ranging from mahogany reds to soft cerulean blues. The earrings were studded with one of two beads that highlighted the beauty of the actresses’ faces. The hairstylist also did a good job of putting the long hairs up in a regal way, but also with a simple air to them. The costumes seemed much simpler than in other dramas at first, but the gentle patterns and colors were unique to every character. Although it is important to ask if Wang Ling was wearing the same purple dress the whole time. Perhaps it would of been better to give the supporting characters some wardrobe changes as well.
Another point was the terms in this drama, which I’ve never heard in other historical dramas due to different time periods. Instead of Jie Jie (姐姐), for example, older sister was called A’Zi (阿姊), and mother and father were called A’Mu and A’Fu, different from other traditional callings such as the much more common Mu Qing (母亲) and Fu Qing (父亲).
MUSIC - 9.0
LLTG has three sung OSTs (two of them were special to the two parts), as well as a few theme songs played with traditional Chinese instruments for a few characters. The OSTs were sung with emotion and feeling, prompting the listener to close their eyes and enjoy the tender melodies. As beautiful as they were, it would have been to have a few more supplemental OSTs to enhance the drama atmosphere.
The OSTs are a beautiful treat, though:
Love Like the Galaxy (星汉灿烂) - Sung by Shan Yi Chun
Song of Strings (弦歌) - Sung by Ayanga
Sigh of Starry River (星河叹) - Isabelle Huang
Overall, Part 2 has nicely wrapped up the historical series, with a gripping plot and lovable characters, both leading and supporting. Character relationship in Love Like the Galaxy is one of the most precious and unique parts of the drama, showing every kind of love, and not just romantic. Through interactions and experiences, Cheng Shaoshang has finally come to accept her position in the world, and Ling Buyi has come to trust Shaoshang as not just the person he loves, but as her own separate person.
“I know it’s her with just one glance, it’ll be her this lifetime, this century.”
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1My dear, I don't give a damn.
Gone with the Rain is one of the few Chinese dramas out there that has a very apt English title. It is also set in a time of civil war and the design of the four main characters are unmistakably inspired by Margaret Mitchell's epic classic novel Gone with the Wind. It is very much a character drama that is at surface a romance, but the true love story is the one between two women who are almost diametric opposites of one another.This story takes place in a fictional Jing state but the costumes and background suggests this loosely is late Tang dynasty when the powerful local military governors rebelled. Vast swarths of the country was thrown into civil war during which the central government had little knowledge or control over what was happening. The drama's greatest failing is that it is very sloppy in terms of clearly explain who the different factions and what their agendas are. Events unfold conveniently and not always logically simply to enable character conflict and development.
The story is told largely from seventeen year old Tang Moxi's perspective. She breaks the fourth wall in the beginning and continues to share her thoughts via very vivid, at times funny and at times silly daydreams. Moxi is illegtimate and orphaned at an early age, she grows up on sufference in the household of her uncle Bai Wentao a scheming mid-level official. Her first cousin Bai Fengyao its the only one that cares for her. The drama opens with the country on the verge of civil unrest. The cousins are colluding to evade their family's efforts to marry them off for advancement. Moxi rescues a dashing wounded soldier Wan Jiagui and falls for him. She also encounters an infuriating general Chen Wende. Through a series of misunderstandings, some self inflicted Moxi finds herself caught between both men while Wan Jiagui finds himself engaged to both women. A tortuous romantic quadrangle between the four plays out as the country slides into chaos. The romances are secondary to how the relationship between the women navigates civil war and a messy love rivalry.
Despite their different personalities and perspectives, Moxi and Fengyao share a touching and unbreakable bond. Moxi is fiesty, selfish, cynical, manipulative and tough as nails beneath her lovely exterior. She is above all a survivor; she has to be as there is only the rather helpless Fengyao in her corner. Fengyao is pretty much everything Moxi is not - selfless, well educated, gentle, sentimental, idealistic,and impractical; in other words quite useless. Their strengths and weaknesess complement and together, they are able to acutally fend quite well for each other. Unfortunately they both fall for the gallant, noble hero in heroes clothing Wan Jiagui who when tested is actually a weak character. Moxi spends most of the drama fighting her devastating attraction to Chen Wende, a rough, uncouth warrior who is more than what he appears to be. He is the only character that remains charismatic and likable throughout the drama. After awhile, it is quite obvious where these four main character blueprints are from.
The first half of the drama is quite enjoyable as Moxi and Fengyao find their strengths and struggle with their flaws in trying times. However, Moxi's wilful blindness and her obstinate pinning for her first love went on for so long it became tedious. I wanted to hurl my remote at her and yell "My dear, I don't give a damn!" Even though all the portrayals are well done and the characters are multi-dimensional, this drama spends too much time rehashing character flaws without a well fleshed out plot to keep things engaging. The conflict and attraction between Chen Wende and Moxi is the only highlight of the second half of the drama which made it less of a struggle. I also enjoyed the casting of an actress in the role of Wu Yin. The second relationship however is not sufficiently developed because all of the men can only have eyes for Moxi. The final arc is rushed and Moxi's ability to transform herself is not well explained and frankly impossible. The story does come to a satisfying ending with the final episodes making up for the sag in the latter half. This is different enough from the usual run-of-the-mill historical Chinese drama that I enjoyed many aspects of it. It is quite well acted and had it been shorter and more tightly written, I'd probably rate it better than 7/10.
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There's a part in me that appreciates wickedness, so I don't necessarily fault the show for its ugly illicitness, but they try to sell it as romantic and that is wrong. There are repeated sexual assaults culminating in a scene where the perpetrator eventually tells his victim that he would kill him if he didn't return his feelings. This turns into a consensual love scene.It's called Obsessed, fine. I feel like it may have worked had they both been so equally possessive and twisted, but they weren't and the result is a power imbalance and the dynamic is ultimately abusive. The narrative sells the abuser's actions as all in the name of love. There's no self-awareness.
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It takes 60,000 years worth of patience to watch this show...
So, I really tried to like this show. I mean, it has good actors, a splendid wardrobe, amazing production and special effects. Even the opening and ending OST match the vibe that this show is trying to achieve...BUT:
1. The Gods are weaker than the Devils till the 46th episode
2. The secondary lead/Muguang is a complete and utter fool but also gets major screen time
3. The villain is known from episode 12 and continues to go undetected and run rampant till episode 46. AND you get to see this all the time as everyone else is taken for a ride but you still ought to believe that they are Gods and not idiots.
4. Only saving grace are another pair of secondary leads - TianQi and Gu Jun - who unfortunately do not get enough screen time or the power to solve anything
5. The ML is too busy falling in love/out of love/ reincarnating/ suffering amnesia/ solving reincarnation problems and acting like the entire universe 's problems are on his shoulders
6. One avatar of the FL which is all powerful and can actually solve problems is there in approx 22 episodes. The first 12 eps where she is busy training and falling in love (so in my eyes - basically doing nothing), and then the last ten where she alone is able to devise how to make good triumph over evil. The rest of her avatars are powerless and only involved in entangling with the ML and suffering in the hands of the villain
SO:
Story:
If you can't tell from the above points how frustrated I am with the overall pace of this story then my rant has fallen on deaf ears. The storyline is pretty interesting as it has been derived from a popular novel. All story arcs are also fleshed out sufficiently with multiple secondary leads. My only bone of contention is that this story will try your patience to the limit and then some.
Acting:
TianQi and Gu Jun were good. The female lead is a good actress and Xu Kai is good at looking good. To me the story overpowered the acting. I have zero tolerance for fools and characters that just don't take the hint. Unfortunately, this show is filled with them so I wasn't able to get past my frustration with the characters to appreciate their acting.
Overall:
This is watchable if you are a fan of xanxia/wuxia genre. The production value is fantastic and the special effects are truly wonderful. The acting is okay and if you are a fan of the book you'll probably be a fan of the show. I think I would have rated this higher if it was a K-show with only 16/24 episodes. If I am watching something for 49 episodes it had better be sensible and keep me invested in the characters. I lost hope after ep 40 and only sheer grit made me finish this show so I could share my review truthfully.
All in all, if you have low patience for issue resolution and do not suffer fools gladly then do not bother to watch. You will thank me later!
PS: This is my opinion. If you don't agree that's fine but please desist from writing rude comments.
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If you like revenge dramas where the leads (the two male leads in this case) are willing to do everything, including hurting people who love them, to get what they want, then you might like this drama. If you like plots where memory loss plays an important part to create conflicts and misunderstandings, then this is also for you. If you like love triangles where both male leads are determined to love the girl no matter what (including some noble idiocy), then this drama has it.
On the other hand, if you are like me and dislike those things, then you probably shouldn't watch this drama. And I just don't understand revenge. The main character, princess Xiao Feng, is carefree and happy, but love hits her hard and breaks her heart because the men in her life want something "greater" than her and she becomes a tool in their hands. Yes, they try to win her over, more or less, but the whole memory loss thing makes it more complicated. If the Crown Prince had actually trusted her a little bit... To put it simply, I really didn't like the plot - even though I enjoyed the drama in the beginning, my enjoyment and my rating dropped as I watched. After the first episodes (before she gets married) I very rarely felt that this was "romantic" at all. Also, it got draggy and repetitive in the middle (who knew it was so easy to sneak out of a palace!).
So, it's the story and the writing that I didn't like. Sometimes I do enjoy power struggles but in this drama that part wasn't interesting enough for me. If there is an Emperor - Empress - Empress uncle power triangle, there has to be something in their personalities and not just the fact that these are their roles and we know that the Empress is always cold-hearted and her uncle is always power-hungry… but that is not reason enough to care.
There were, however, a few things that I liked. For one thing, everything is pretty and the drama is a real feast for the eyes. Nothing looks fake or plastic and the costumes are gorgeous. The makers of this drama paid a lot of attention to such details! I didn't like the main characters, but I did like some of the minor characters a lot. I also liked that while there were women who were rivals and hated each other (as in every palace drama!), this drama had a lot of genuine female friendship - I appreciated that. Also, I think the acting was good, even when I didn't like the characters or didn't agree with their choices. The pain in their hearts appeared to be "real"… and yet I couldn't feel anything for most of them. (That might sound contradictory but it was how I felt it, and for me, my "feeling" is important when I rate a drama!)
The music wasn't memorable in my opinion, and the re-watch value is very low. That's because I didn't like the drama of course, but I also never re-watch dramas so I guess this part doesn't matter a lot.
Okay, so now I've shared my unpopular opinion, because as watchers we are all different and not everyone likes the same drama as everyone else. It could be helpful for those who are thinking about watching this to know that there are different opinions.
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I liked the drama concept, but I want it more!
Let’s start with the visual, I love the vivid colors of the hanboks and the scenery. The storyline was Soso it was monotonous and kept repeating over and over again. I love the actors they chose for this drama however I think the lead female could have dove deeper into her part. It would’ve been nice to see the couples develop more and it would have also would have been nice to have seen the differences between the twins. I love that they had an overweight person in the selection, process you don’t usually see that in a K drama.Was this review helpful to you?
Light & Bright Youth. Story of Companionship & Friendship
Meeting this drama and their characthers is a mix of youthful spring and calming autumn. Theres that wonderful reminscing of youth, of school, classmates and friendship. Theres that understanding between two people who value and support each other. Theres the spring of childhood friends turned first love.Although mostly light, Nan xi's backstory was a little sad and lonely at the start. Because of his genius and crowd phobia, he live in seclusion, barracade himself from people both physically and emotionally. Enter Xia Rui, who is his bell while he is the wood. Polar opposites but they share a special friendship that dates to childhood. Having reconcile, Nan xi vows never to be separated from Xia Rui again. In some aspects he comes off clingy and possessive. But if you think of how his life was before her and how much he understands himself and his needs, you can understand a little where hes coming from. Xia Rui represents the light in the dark, the floater in the sea, the colour in a colourless world and the laughter to drown out the noise. She, as he puts it, is and always will be his destination. They make each other reach to be a better part of themselves. The story sees them breaking barriers and improving themselves. Witnessing their growth is like a rewarding task of watching a tree firmly take root, grow, bear fruits and reach its full potential.
We are also treated to 2 of Xia Rui's best friends who also enter Nan xi's world. They make up our second couple who are as cute as they look. The drama is littered with a lot of lovely characters, too many to list individually. In this aspect it's really a feel good drama with lots of positive energy.
The strength lies in their friendship. People who care and makes sure to stay together. Often this is not easily done in real life. Its wonderful to see their friendships persevere from highschool to college. Gratifying to see that they are each other's support systems. I appreciate the message the drama relays and the positive ambience and feel it radiates. The cast were spot on. Fiction Guo has really put his mark as Nan xi and Wan Peng is right at home potraying the warm and radiant XiaRui. If you would want some positive energy and a drama high on friendship and youth, this may be a rewarding watch.
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WHAT I WAS HAPPY ABOUT (without trying to spoil anything):
Kang Ji Hwan's performance and his character. When I first saw him I thought I wasn't going to like him;he looked stiff, boring and mean. But I found out that I was wrong and I was soo happy that I was. This is the first drama I have seen him in and It makes me want to look for other things that he's been in. I liked that the 'love triangle' focused more on the future potential relationship aspects as opposed to the entire drama being about the leads getting over their past loves before they even notice or become aware of the person in front of them.
HOWEVER:
Like most others, I agree that this drama was a bit on the long side which is strange seeing as how it's the standard 16 episodes. I got up to episode 13 and then put it on hold. I do plan to finish it but I tend to binge-watch dramas (as I am sure most do) and at that point I just had to stop.
Switching gears slightly: Another thing I was happy to discover was that Sung Joon was not as annoying as I thought he'd be in other dramas, it was just this one. I watched I Need Romance 3 and I LOVED HIM in that so it was just this drama and his character who annoyed me. And I guess that's just a good sign that he's a great actor, right? ^__^
Hope my rants were helpful. x
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That is the underlying theme running behind the events in this drama.
There is CCS, a young man destined to die by the age of 20.
There is XYR, a saintess whose ‘match made from Heaven’ is a disciple with the blood of a dragon.
There is Nanke, a demon princess who no one cared about.
There is Guojiao Academy, which has been closed due to traitorous acts of its members.
It might seem that the events will follow its natural path, but the characters remain persistent in their endeavours… Who knows what the final result will be?
PACE
This is an epic drama, which sustains its quality throughout the series. It seems to me that there are three main types of dramas: ones which are slow to begin and escalate to a massive havoc/excitement towards the end, ones which begin very well and dwindle towards the end and, finally, ones which keep you interested from the beginning and keep getting better. This drama falls into the last category – I felt that this drama had a ‘period’ of a few episodes: every 3-5 episodes there will be a major event to which all previous events led – that event/difficulty will disappear/be resolved and soon another one will appear. Having said that, I must say that the first dozen or so episodes was the most interesting to me – but that is because most of main character development took place then. Exciting events keep happening until the very end though.
PLOT, CHARACTERS AND ACTING
The plot itself is very interesting. CCS, a boy who grew up in a remote settlement sets off to the capital to change his destiny. He meets a group of talented, devoted and influential friends, as well as some formidable enemies.
All the characters are very interesting and have a story of their own and many of them change during the journey – we get to experience things like betrayal, following temptations vs upright attitude, responsibility of bringing glory to one’s family, striving for the best in spite of no one believing in the possibility of success, and a fair dose of unrequited love.
This drama has to offer a lot of different flavours: bittersweet mixture of a little silliness (Luoluo is great! Same goes for 36…) and some very serious struggles and moral dilemmas. All the main actors were great. Some were slightly caricatural (like Janice Wu, who, as I said, was adorable), but it all fit the purpose.
There were few annoying(ly evil) characters, but they had minor roles which mostly only lasted a few episodes. Some accuse the main female lead of too few facial expressions, but I think that her acting was not unnatural and suited her role as a saintess. I think that Luhan did a great job – he was pensive and sharp at the same time. Final note - whilst romance was present (and there were a few other potential/existing pairings), it was not the main focus of the drama (as opposed to friendship, wisdom and power), so I do not recommend FotD if you were to only watch it for the romance.
ESTHETICS
Most costumes were really impressive (though there are scenes when their shoes appear slightly funny). The filming locations/landscapes are worth to become tourist attractions (if they truly exist in real world…) – some of them were absolutely breathtaking! The animations were fairly simple (I think that most of the flying was done with wires), but it all remained relatively natural.
MUSIC
The soundtrack was great – I was a little sceptical of the opening song, but grew to like it over the 52 episodes. A really nice aspect of the soundtrack was that it used the same tune every time when some grand spiritual practice events took place – it added grandeur to the moment…
LANGUAGE
A note on language: probably quite typically of xianxia dramas, this drama uses quite archaic/formal language and has a lot of drama-world-specific vocabulary. But it is not terribly varied, so if you have an intermediate grasp of Mandarin, you can give it a go (though the conversations in the royal court might prove difficult). But I would hope the outstanding few episodes will get subtitled soon! Overall, a very nice, well-rounded drama. It might not be a masterpiece, but it shows solid effort from all aspects – from plot and acting through costumes and sets until music.
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To be honest, the only thing that kept me watching is Cooper (Golf) - what can I say, Im a sucker for cute boys (that didnt sound right) - his acting was a still raw at this point, probably because he was still too young here, and Im judging from a very low bar.
What I dont like about the series:
1. Im sorry to say but I dont know why Guide is the other main lead here , his character Bank has not enough charisma and personality and not believable enough to convert a straight boy into loving another boy, let alone be the object of affection of 2 guys.
2. How they presented the timeline just didnt work for me, and it was too obvious that they want to explain everything.
3. This is telenovela at its worst, it has the most number of sick people in a show that Ive ever seen - MDD, Alzheimers, Cancer and Heart failure. It is a futile and lazy attempt to create drama. Golf has the unluckiest family in the entire drama world -all the old members are/were sick or was beaten by an ex partner.
4. The ending - i desperately tried to search the web for the next episode, I thought they pranked me but did the show really end like that? I get that at least the 2 leads were together, as expected, but all the other characters and events just became unimportant.
When i was about halfway through all the episodes all i can think about is when will this show end. Rewatcheability - im giving it a 4 just because of Cooper, if youre a fan of this guy, then watch but if not run for your life. Overall im giving it a 5
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