Reviews

cliche “sunshine vs grump” but with enough plot creativity that it works.

Julia Xiang & Deng Wei did soooo phenomenally in their roles. Their chemistry was believable, their angst and love just the thing for the soul. Credit to the actors for delivering but also credit to the directors and the show for such a cute pairing. Su Yi Shui and Mu Qing Ge/Xue Ran Ran are just perfectly balanced in their personalities and qualities. It leans on the cliche “sunshine vs grump” but I think there’s enough creativity with other aspects that it works. Mu Qing Ge is seen as “frivolous” and “lazy”, but she’s good hearted. Su Yi Shui is “cold” but he was abused so it’s not surprising. It’s actually also really nice that he isn’t “cold” once Mu Qing Ge dies – he is just *indifferent* because of the Ice lotus, but is clearly soft for Xue Ran Ran basically instantly. Deng Wei truly makes an excellent Su Yi Shui. I was obsessed with the way he mastered being serious but clearly in love with all the micro-body language.

I also liked that there was Qiu Xi Er and the other two disciples. I think the friendship and loyalty and banter really played well. It added a “levity” to the show that really makes the show just so fun to watch.

Wei Jiu and Tu Jiu Yuan’s relationship was also super fun to watch. I LOVE when the *secondary* romances feel like they could be their own show. Not only that, but Wei Jiu’s character arc was as good as Su Yi Shui’s.

My three pretty minor complaints:
- Mu Ran Wu was pathetic truly – she hates her sister because her sister has everything but IDK if it’s because I’m the eldest child, I wanted to actually throw her bratty self off a cliff. Her actions do set most of the story in motion though.
- Su Yu was also pretty annoying and the only reason he’s less annoying than Mu Ran Wu is his final redemption. I wish he wasn’t a *sleazy* second love interest and really did have fully pure intentions, but I totally get the direction the show chose.
- It seems to be a truth universally acknowledge if the show starts with one main lead character having amnesia, the other will certainly also experience memory loss for at least an episode or three (especially if they are happily together but there are still 5+ episodes left in the show). I don’t hold this against them entirely, as it was well done enough, but I would have preferred if they skipped the amnesia part.

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My initial reason for starting it in the first place: The guest and support appearances of other actors (Hou MingHao, Ding YuXi, Charles Lin). Otherwise I probably didn't think of starting it at all. Despite that I was still invested in the story. The actual main cast was as convincing and made me care for them and their goals as well.

The drama has its own beauty and grace. A different kind of grace, especially the main romance in the beginning. As the main plot continues with the villain, the romance lost some of its artful beauty - you could say it was replaced by the game-like storytelling. Those of you who are also gamers maybe know what I'm talking about. Your typical RPG-storyline: a group of heroes is built - growing as the story continues - to fight the big evil, that is terrorizing humanity. You have your different places where the main group travels to, to solve smaller side-stories, that are still important for the main plot. And everything results in the big fight at the end. Thankfully in the last episodes, the story rediscovers the beauty and gracefullness of its initial love story as well.

And at this point I can't quite differentiate between my subjective and objective opinion about the last events. Because they added another - imo - unnecessary side villain to the story. I also think many characters had a questionable fate at the end. At some point I can understand the storyteller's intentions for the later purpose - at the same time I don't like it at all, because the way it happened felt unreasonable.

What I really love about this drama were its many different couples. You get so many awesome and unique characters and so many great couples you can root on. This feels somewhat refreshing, since you don't have to concentrate on only one but a whole bunch. It definitely never gets dull.

The music played a big, big deal in this one. It was powerful and strong, connected you to the current scenes while you got swept away by its emotions.

Visual effects supported the fighting skills greatly and made them look stunning without going overboard.

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A storytelling masterpiece about romantic and self love wrapped in a bow of excellent production

It’s been a few days since I finished the show and while I can’t remember every single detail, there are certain plot choices I want to highlight because of how good they were:

- **Flashback set up:** I normally don’t love jumping between timelines, but the way this show does it is phenomenal. It not only builds up their romance, but also helps unravel who they are as individuals and who they have grown into.
- Usually when we flashback, the actors are so obviously adults it’s disturbing but Bai Jing Ting & Zhang Ruo Nan have faces that really allowed them to seamlessly play high school and adult characters. So the casting for these two was 10/10.
- **The “set up” for assault:** I hate sad stories only because the real world is full of them. 1 in 4 women experience sexual assault including attempted sa. ~ 78% of rape cases involve someone the victim knows so to have this story really set the stage for this creepy uncle with concerning easy access to a young vulnerable girl was important to me in terms of properly representing that it’s not just strangers that hurt women.
- **When she talks to her past self (Ep. 29):** This scene almost broke me. It was such a great visual representation of healing and moving on from the scars that can haunt you.
- **Her mother’s apology (Ep. 30):** We can see that Yifan’s mom does not deserve her daughter, but Yifan for much of the show is still trying to meet her mom half way, so you aren’t really sure as a viewer how she will finally make peace with her mom. I love that she chose to let her mother completely go.
- **Secondary romance:** I usually enjoy the secondary couples in these romance shows, but Zhong Si Qiao and Su Hao An were such an excellent story. They felt like a different show (in a good way). Their plot didn’t overshadow Sang Yan & Wen Yi Fan but it also wasn’t so basic as to feel underwhelming/unneeded. It’s usually that the secondary couple(s) are “assigned” a basic trope and their story is squished in the few extra minutes the show has where its not a bad romance but there isn’t enough substance to really care or root for them. But I truly feel like we got to see Zhong Si Qiao and Su Hao An grow as individuals as well as a couple. I would LOVE a show that follows their kind of romance of oopies to old classmates to friends to lovers.

And OF COURSE the main romance. This is it’s own essay that it can’t be a bullet point. I have a lot I want to say about this relationship.

- It’s practically impossible for fated mates trope to be used for a contemporary romance, and yet, this show truly made me double think that. These two were truly made for each other and are fated.
- Sang Yan: He is stubborn, narcissistic, and brooding – but so very hot and perfect. Even with his “negative” traits at the forefront, we know his heart absolutely belongs to Wen Yi Fan. It real life, there is a bit of a creepy, stalker aspect to how in love he is with her even after she breaks his heart, but some how in this story it just works. Probably because Wen Yi Fan has been abandoned by her family and is alone in this world, but Sang Yan keeps his high school promise that she will never really be alone because she has him.
- Wen Yi Fan: She is traumatized and insists on running rather than facing trouble onwards BUT we can understand very well why. Her actual personality is witty and kind with a sprinkle of cutie-patootie. I love that she has always adored Sang Yan but that life and haters held her back from really indulging her feelings. Watching her grow into herself to gain confidence and defend herself was really beautiful. Seeing her find strength within herself but then learn how to depend on those that love her was the cherry on top.

All in all, this is not a light and fluffy romance, but it is a storytelling masterpiece with a happy ending.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas

- I wish parents had more counseling and guidance about how to really care for their child. Yifan was not wrong when she said the worst betrayal was not her aunt and uncle, but from her very own mother. This woman birthed and raised her for ~15 years, but just completely abandons her when hard times hit.
- Parents are not *owed* forgiveness when their actions play a direct role in your deepest hurts. While some children can make space to try and repair their relationship, sometimes the damage and hurt is too deep to ignore and that is okay.

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This is a feel good series and one of my faves in Muteluv

This isn't groundbreaking, but it's sweet and funny and cute. BL tropes abound, but they are well executed and satisfying. The mains are endearing. There's no question where we are headed from the beginning but it was still a fun ride. There is enough tension to move the story but not so much that its distracting or annoying. And the characters behave in a way that's believable in the context of a tv series. It's so irritating to watch bl's where couples are doing ridiculously foolish things that manufacture conflicts that no two people have ever found themselves in. (I give more leeway to comedies, but even then there are limits that some shows fail to respect.) The chemistry is good. So good in fact that the scenes without kissing show the warmth between them as effectively as the scenes where they do kiss. This hit all the right notes for me. It's warm and fuzzy with a few laughs and an appropriate amount of conflict. So simple and yet so good. It made me look for more places to watch the main couple and also got me interested in other miniseries within the larger Muteluv series.

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A Sizzling Romance (w/ a political plot line that falls a bit short)

NOTE: Unlike MyDramaList I also have a category for Romance (because I exclusively watch romances lol) so while some categories get less than a 10, I did give the romance an 11/10 (YES 11). So the show ends up a 10/10 for me.

Pursuit of Jade has all the classic aspects of a historical romance but still feels new and creative. For me, the best things about the show were:

- Xie Zheng & Fan Chang Yu’s romance. This is a core element that makes this show so good. You have a perfect burn romance with leads whose chemistry rivals that of oil and fire. Everything about their romance felt perfect for the plot. My main care is always the romance and this was easily an 11/10 for me
- The depth of most of the antagonists. While some had more screen time and better arcs than others, 99% of the antagonists had a depth to them many shows skip for the sake of having an “evil antagonist”. I loved that each character, good or bad, had a logistical reason for their choices and actions.
- Tian Xi Wei as Fan Chang Yu. Tian Xi Wei played her role to perfection. I liked Zhang Ling He before this show and he is a handsome actor, but between the two, she was amazing. I had more of a crush on her character. Fan Chang Yu was the dream balance of boss lady who takes no sh*t and sweetie pie that cares about the wellbeing of everyone.
- Gongsun Yin and Qi Shu’s romance. It was an excellent secondary romance with such a lovely softness to it that contrasted the “hardness” between the main couple who were navigating war and their fathers' deaths.
- Jin Yuan Bao and his crew. They go from hooligans to Fan Chang Yu’s entourage (aka the Butcher Crew). Jin Yuan Bao was super cute and loyal to her and I love that we see him have a tiny crush but he packs it up and recognizes she loves Xie Zheng rather than causing a “dramatic love triangle” drama. The crew was so cute, I was genuinely sad when one of them died.

The main issues I had with the show were:
- Some of the side main characters were handled a bit odd. Specifically Yu Qian Qian and Song Yan. (*This is a large reason why story is 9.2*)
- I know there was real life drama for the actor of Song Yan, but his role at the end and his AI face really made it hard to watch him at all. *(This is specifically why acting is a 9.8)*
- For Yu Qian Qian I don’t understand why they made her of a *mysterious background,* it literally adds/subtracts nothing from her story expect making you feel like you are missing something. The show is very much “realistic fiction” so why allude to her being an immortal or from the future or whatever ambiguous origins.
- Plus Qi Sheng as a push over Emperor, his character is so passive and to have him go crazy was disappointing to say the least.
- There are a lot of “antagonists” whether passive or active, this is both a plus and negative in that some “endings” for the antagonists fell a bit flatter than if there were fewer antagonists. For example, Sui Yuan Qing’s death felt so abrupt when there was so much pent up hatred both towards and from him.
- Kind of linking to the point above, I loved and hated that the "main, real antagonist" was the Late Emperor. It is a great way of giving all the antagonists on screen more depth, but it feels so unsatisfying that there’s nothing to be done that the “main evil” is already dead even though he has caused so much pain 17 years ago and now. (*This is the other main reason why story is 9.2*)
- Someone also made a good point that Fan Changyu easily defeated two seasoned generals without much effort while Xie Zheng is said to be the most powerful general but there was not a single proper battle for him. I think Fan Changyu makes sense because her father did raise her to be a fighter (and she was born extremely strong) but I do think it would have been nice to see a bit more fighting and dominance from Xie Zheng in war (but I don’t personally care toooo much about this so it’s more a nit for me than an actual flaw.)
- While I liked the “in another life” epilogue it was also unfulfilling for me. I would have preferred more about their current life to be honest.
- It sets it up as “another reality” but then everyone seems to have a deja vu of each other. Qi Min is alive but feels sick near Yu Qian Qian which again makes no sense if this is a world where the tragedy never happened. They should be able to have their HEA in this life (assuming he is decent and she falls in love back)
- Xie Zheng and Fan Chang Yu are “betrothed” at childhood which was cute but we don’t get any insight on how their relationship growing up is different which I feel should have been the focal of this flashback considering their romance is the focal point of the show

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- Evil is a loop of cause and effect. Someone will always feel wronged for one reason or another. Ending the cycle starts with one’s self if we are to look at Qi Min and Wei Yan. Accountability and even just a bit more sympathy could have changed their fates drastically. Wei Yan was a great example of a gray character with all he did for the State of Yin, his lover, and his wife who he took in to protect as a pregnant widow contrasted with how he treated his nephew (Xie Zheng), how he manipulated the emperor, and scapegoated others.

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Cute & Bubbly, But Def Different

I don’t have too much to say about this show as it was a tad more slice of life than anything. The MML and FML get together by the second episode and the rest of the seven episodes are more about them navigating a relationship than anything else.

My favorite thing about this show was their healthy communication. It really carries the show because most romances are about the couple *getting* together while this show leans more into them *staying* together. Yaeshima Asako is shy about her sweat and being smelly. Natori Kotaro is bubbly and adores her but has his own worries and concerns. Seeing them navigate their individual concerns as a couple was truly a breath of fresh air.

While I can’t say I “loved it” I did also appreciate the creative approach they took for the *sex* scenes. They were funny and very much interpretive. I don’t know that I could watch them again, but this show is def it’s own brand of entertainment.

I loved the background music of the show overall – it was mostly like this bubbly lo-fi mix. But I wasn’t a fan of the songs with actual singing.

Some things I thought we interesting/could have been set up better was:

- They do a one year time jump and then have him freak about about a break up because he can’t smell her emotions. I don’t know how I feel about him freaking out a year into their relationship? I feel like 3 or 6 months in would make more sense than a year. Especially since they don’t seem to have too much “growth” in that one year span of dating. *(This is the reason for a docked .5 in Romance.)*
- I really wish the FML called out her childhood bully even though it makes *sense* for her personality that she didn’t.
- For the sake of comedy, we have her in the work bathroom spraying the hell out of her body spray – but all I could think is how has no one reported her and how can SHE breath when other people in the bathroom cannot.

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As long as I live… in this lifetime… you are mine.” – Xie Zheng ??»

***** SPOILER ALERT (PERSONAL FEEDBACK) *****
Personal Rating: ⭐️ 10/10
💕 How would you rate this drama?
Title: Pursuit of Jade / Chasing Jade / Zhu Yu (2026)
Status: Complete – 40 Episodes

ML: Yan Zheng / Xie Zheng (Marquis of Wu’an) – Zhang Ling He
FL: Fan Chang Yu – Tian Xi Wei

«“As long as I live… in this lifetime… you are mine.” – Xie Zheng 🥹😍»

My baby Xi Wei is finally getting the recognition she truly deserves! 🥹

From the moment I saw the trailer, I was already hooked. I waited months for this drama and even held off watching until it was completed—because I cannot deal with waiting for episodes 😅

The story begins when Fan Chang Yu, a butcher’s daughter, saves a severely wounded Xie Zheng (Marquis of Wu’an), who is secretly investigating the Jinzhou massacre—a tragic event that killed the Crown Prince and his father. To protect both himself and Chang Yu, he hides his identity and lives under the name Yan Zheng.

When Chang Yu needs a matrilocal husband to secure her inheritance, Yan Zheng agrees to a fake marriage… and of course, what starts as fake slowly turns real 🥹❤️

The plot dives deep into political power struggles—who deserves the throne, exposing corrupt ministers manipulating the emperor, and uncovering the truth behind the Jinzhou massacre 17 years ago.

✨ What made this drama stand out?
⭐️ The chemistry between Zhang Ling He and Tian Xi Wei is INSANE—like, next level. You can feel everything without them even saying it: the eye contact, the subtle glances, the small touches, the bickering, the jealousy… even the silence speaks LOVE 😭

They didn’t just act—they became Yan Zheng and Fan Chang Yu 😍😍😍

⭐️ Characters & Performance:
Xie Zheng is especially unforgettable—a cold-blooded general who is ruthless toward his enemies, a strict and law-abiding leader to his subordinates, yet a devoted and loving husband to Fan Chang Yu.

Fan Chang Yu is strong, fearless, lovable, and perfectly portrayed by Tian Xi Wei.

Everything just fits perfectly.

The story is great, and the twists are even better. The fight scenes are superb, and there are no dull moments. I just wish we got more of Xie Zheng and Fan Chang Yu’s story rather than the focus on Qi Min’s obsession with Yu Qian Qian. I also wanted more scenes of the Royal Princess and Gongsun—they were so cute! Still, I’m rating this 10/10 without hesitation. It’s a romantic comedy with superb fight scenes and a happy ending.

This drama is officially added to my rewatch list and sits on the same top-tier level as Love Like the Galaxy and Prisoner of Beauty 💯

🎥 If you want to see Zhang Ling He & Tian Xi Wei together off-screen, watch them on Hello Saturday while promoting the drama 😍

🎶 Favorite OST: “A Single Thought” – Zhang Zining & Li Xinyi

Genre: Historical • Costume • Romance • Comedy • War • Fake to Real Lovers

💬 If you love slow-burn romance, powerful chemistry, and strong characters with a happy ending, THIS IS A MUST-WATCH!

⚠️ Warning! Brace yourself! Zhang Ling He is freaking handsome here.
In my opinion, he looks the most handsome in this drama compared to his other dramas 😍🔥

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GMMTV HAS DONE IT AGAIN.

To say this series is bland, uninspiring and a disappointment would be a gross understatement. This is GMMTV throwing out trash just cos they know fans would accept anything as long as there are some kisses And I know many would say the opposite and you're entitled to it. I had extremely lower expectations but GMMTV still proved disappointing.

Pros
An interesting concept (sexual assault and it's effects on psyche) and drug trafficking.
A series about a killer who turns the harmless drunken game of truth or dare to carry out murders.
The acting from these guys were solid as expected.
The OST was quite good.

Cons.
PAINFULLY PREDICTABLE.
The script was totally bonkers so it didn't do the actors any good.
Compare to a series like "Goddess Bless You from Death" where the police work looked and felt realistic and investigations felt like brilliant minds at work, this series actually made the utterly bizarre choice to make these police characters less intelligent and more horny even at crime scenes.
Anyone with an ounce of brain cells could determine from the very first episode that Dr. Puth was the truth or dare killer when the show decided to show an extremely lacking "forensic report" about the substances in Fai's body.
With regards Puifai being the second killer, it wasn't difficult to also see it due to the fact that almost everyone else who was murdered was shown on a forensic table or nature of murder was elaborated except once again Puifai.

SHALLOW CHARACTERS
The characters in this series weren't done any good which is a shame cos these actors were putting out all their energy but the scripts wasn't doing them any favours. The police work was shoddy. The main characters were just interested in banging eachother from the very first episode. The captain of the police was just interested in banging his superior even at the crime scene.
Even the killers' who had a compelling reason for killing like Puifai being the victim of sexual assault was rendered impotent by the constant horniness on display by the main characters.
Instead of actually putting the main concept of sexual assault at the front and centre and actually using it to address the series, the writers and director decides to rather put the horny police front and centre and then slide the main concept to side.
It was a total dumpster fire wrapped in a Trainwreck of a series.
Even if you watched just the first, you could skip to final one and you'd still understand the whole thing.
All the characters especially the main ones have virtually no development as they continue to make bafflingly stupid decisions.

UNREALISTIC POLICE INVESTIGATIONS AND EYESORE VFX
I wonder if GMMTV did their homework about how the police department especially Crime Investigation worked. I don't think they did. As a crime movies and documentaries enthusiast, this series was bafflingly unrealistic at best and totally bullshit at worst. How can a police officer who has investigated crimes for at least a year not even be able to take relevant notes. The inspector's notebook had just 3 words from everything they saw and heard "Chireen", "Champ" and "relationship".
Even the crime board which could have been a display of the investigations so far had only pictures of the suspects and nothing else. Again, GMMTV didn't do anything to know and provide some sense of reality to police investigations. Even busting the drug trafficking ring which should have been a highlight was turned into another moment of sexual innuendos so the captain could further impress his superior in order to successfully get them into horny mode.
Many decisions made by the "police" were so bad. Like living together with a subordinate who is constantly flirting with you and basically lacks boundaries.
I also don't know why GMMTV fails to invest enough into VFXs especially when it comes to BLs though this genre has been their highest cash grabs in past half a decade.

CONCLUSION
I have a lot more to say but all I have to say is that this series could only be impressive if you were only looking out for horny people playing cops. If you had a lot expectations, leave them together with your brains before you watch this series.
It was a total unfunny joke of a series. I don't recommend it to anyone and if you do watch it, don't try to analyse anything cos it basically insults your intelligence.
If you're a crime scenes enthusiast like me with a touch of BL, I recommend watching GODDESS BLESS YOU FROM DEATH.

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I watched the first episode , but I didn’t feel satisfied with it. Usually, when we watch a first episode, it should make us want to watch the second episode. But after watching the first episode, I don’t feel interested in continuing.
The main couple’s acting was good—Net performed well. But JJ didn’t come out that well. I am a netjj supporter but JJ’s acting felt like to improve , the comedy sequence like nothing to feel fun Also, the friendship shown in this drama didn’t work for me at all. Even though it’s supposed to be a friendship, it didn’t feel convincing. I’ve watched other dramas like khemjira , duang with you the friendships there felt so natural and worked well. But here, I didn’t feel originality from it.
The same goes for the main couple. Even though it’s just the first episode, they acted well, but still something was missing.
Overall, it felt like a disappointment because I didn’t get any emotional “feel” from the first episode. I didn't spread any hate on the series it just my pov because i started the 1 st episode with so much expectation but I disappointed so that's why

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This series premise was so engaging

I watched some clips of this series when it was airing and I resolved to watch it when it was done.
it was everything I thought it would be and some more.
these are the things I liked in no particular order:
1. The plot premise (unique and engaging)
2. The cinematography
3. The colour grading/ambience
4. The acting of the cast
5. The ending

I believe that the ending is the best possible scenario because personally I believe that not every series has to have an entirely happy ending sometimes it's logically impossible to have them live happily ever after with everyone getting what they want especially when the series was an emotional roller coaster like this one and everytime you think you know something, they reveal another tibit and you're clueless again.
I really hope that if you had your reservations on watching this series please set it aside and watch it without romantic or illogical ideals because this series is real, raw and unlikely to spare your feelings.

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Love it at first watch! Intelligent characters and good acting!

just disappointed for near the end of the story, especially on last eps (eps 36), there’s rarely interaction between wei shao and qiao man, just right at the end not more that 5 minutes☹️ but overall is good! i like the storyline and how smart the female lead character is also male lead that is not easy to be fooled by others. Their acting are so goooodd!!! This is my first time watching chinese drama in historical era. i am mostly a korean drama watcher, about the war and government issues may not as complicated and heavy as korean one but still acceptable. it seems easy to win in the war in chinese drama.

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A gorgeous & wild ride in the beginning but falls flat at the end

My first thoughts were that this drama is highly entertaining, with gorgeous production & heart-stopping action scenes. It was therefore easy to be swept up in the hype as this show started to air, to the point where it was difficult to view it with a critical eye.

The story begins with a carefully constructed introduction to the life & character of 19 y/o Fan ChangYu, the orphaned daughter of a pig butcher, carrying on her father's profession to support her young sister & adoptive aunt & uncle. She possesses extraordinary physical strength & is highly intelligent in spite of being poorly literate. She rescues the injured & severely weakened fugitive, Yan Zheng, & their developing relationship anchors up to 2/3 of the show. Past identities are slowly revealed as political instability & war drive them from an idyllic village life into the battlefield. ChangYu's fierce independence & heart, always staying true to herself while having her world turned upside down, is what made this drama so mesmerizing to watch. Her identity changes only in the way others view her, but she never loses sight of her own self.

However, like too many high end productions before it, the last 10 eps of the drama slammed to a crawl with no further growth in the personal relationship between the main characters. The writing & acting seem to have fallen off the cliff & we don't gain anything in any character's story as so much time is spent featuring the ineptness of the emperor. In fact, ChangYu almost fades into the background which is so puzzling after dominating the story for 30 eps. What began with so much heart just simply ran out of steam toward the end. All the time spent building up the secondary characters also came to a grinding halt, with the main villian(s) falling (literally) too quickly & easily. I was ready to give this drama a high rating but unfortunately the show dropped the ball far too soon.

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