The entire productions of this C-Drama TV series were phenomenal! The chroma key composition, VFX, SFX, ost, cinematography, editing, cast, and the crew are all exceptional! Very smooth and clean production output compared to other C-Drama series.
However, the drawback of this C-Drama TV series (Ever Night) was the transition stage from S1 to S2, and there was an abrupt transition of characters in which everybody shook up a bit. Even myself, having a difficulty to bear the new changes in SEASON 2 because still, the back of my mind was the picture of original "Arthur Chen/Ning Que" and Meng Ziyi/Ye Hong Yu, "The Dao Addict" which my favorite lady swordmaster and cultivator in SEASON 1. Thus, the fighting scenes are epic in SEASON 2, which carried back the emotional setback of the drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Cast changes
If you like the Season 1 you will like season 2, despite the fact that main male actor is not back as well as few supporting actresses/actors.At least Sang Sang remained and strangely, they begin to build up their power and required often saving.
One of the main annoyances, for me anyway, is voice overs - I'm sucker for detail and if I see lips out of sink I loose interest but it's not something many people will care or notice
Just like in season 1, all aspects of the drama were done quote well, including some epic battles.
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Ever Night 1 was one of the best we have watched. The music can drive you mad but the casting was superb and the acting great. Roll on Ever Night 2
A new cast including Dylan Wang as Ning Que. He is probably the worst person they could have chosen to play the part. My wife immediately said how effeminate he was and could not act out the fight scenes. He has no rhythm and his moves have no style whatsoever. Not a patch on Chen Fei Yu who was a great actor and really put his soul into the part. He is a very poor casting and all we can think is that he has relatives in high places who got him the part.
There were other poor casting choices but I guess that's the price you pay for filming so many wuxia series at the same time. The great actors and actresses are in demand and Ever Night 2 got the C team. The one saving grace was Ireine Song, a very talented young lady and a great actress.
As a footnote, we now realise that due to Dylan Wang's lack of acting ability, the director and producer had to adapt the filming to try and cover up. This led to a very slow and boring series with a lead actor who can only scream and shout running around like a demented stick insect.
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Ning Que and Sangsang as they were meant to be
The change in the male lead helped me delineate the younger Ning Que from the more mature one. To me, Arthur Chen's Ning Que was the teenage version and Dylan Wang's Ning Que was the grown up version. In terms of acting, they are both up there and were excellent choices. I cannot say that one is better than the other as I believed them both to be Ning Ques just at different ages. Dylan Wang did not drop the ball either in fight scenes. He indeed worked hard to keep the pace that Arthur Chen set in Season 1. In fact, I felt more of a romantic chemistry with Dylan and Ireine Song (the actor playing SangSang on both Seasons). It could have been because they were closer in age than Ireine and Arthur.Whatever it was, had there not been a change in the face of the male lead, I doubt I would be able to accept that a brother and sister love as pure as Ning Que's and SangSang's in Season 1 would develop into a romantic love as it did in Season 2. Since this love weighs heavily on the story line, it had to be believable to propel the story forward. With all the adversities that Ning Que had to go through because of his love for SangSang as well as the reason why SangSang could fight Hao Tian to stay on earth albeit with some assistance from the Sage, to me, the love component had to be believable. And with Dylan Wang's performance, I truly was in the thick of it 100%.
Should you want to read more about my opinion on the two ning ques, please see link: https://thislifehappened.me/the-two-ning-ques/
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Disappointed Ending
Story began with the introduction of main characters of season 1 for instance who was Ning Que and what relationship of him with Sang Sang and what was the story of their masters and how their masters connected to each other ,who was pi pi and other important charcters , after that story was started where the first season was end . Starting 15 -20 episodes they both wanders to find the medicine for her . In this duration this time he taking care of her the way she did in the first season . then she came to know there were two souls in her body ,one soul was powerful and respectful soul another was week and everybody thought this soul brings bad omen and consider this soul as evil ,this soul was Sang Sang and she was the reasons of Ning Que's parents death but still he believed her and never leave her (he didn't know about the powerful soul). The powerful soul ultimately took her to heaven from there both the soul saw the hardship faced by Ning Que .,Ning Que at one side always thought about her and believed one day he would meet her and other side fulfil the responsibility of soldier . At the end he destroyed completely in order to meet her and brings her back into her life ,now this point disappointed because no clear end ,confusing end . Writer let us to think that they met and live a happy life.I like first season Ning Que and deeply connected to this character and not want to see any other character in second season when I came to know that he was not there in second season that's disappointed me and not ready to see the new one but from 1st episode only Dylan Wang's acting not made me missing the first season Ning Que . He did amazing acting ,too good .
I like their chemistry but not seen in last few episodes which was sad part .
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I watched it because Mo zan zan ! Timeless to watch it.
I am the one who finished first season. Only one thing happy in the season is fighting scene !! That happen only 4 ep from 43 ep.The story : too long in conversation, useless and timeless. Editor is not good so many scenes are not make sense and not continue.
Editor : it is bad from first season a lot ! Angle of camera is not good, it make actor fat sometime lol
Music : same as first season but they add too much of music ! And took time to much for music ! I lfelt like i was not watch series but i was watching MV.
Actor : I like Dylan wang but his character is not same as first season ! However he did it well in fighting scene and more charming than the old one. Oh yes ! I watched it until the last ep because of Mo zan zan even his scene in this drama is not much but she is charming and her character is clearly character. On the other hand, Sang sang new version is no mood and acting not smooth ! She felt no mood yes her face is no mood but her acting is no mood as well !
Even this season changed a lot of actor, i opened mind to watch it but it is too disappoint ! I was waiting for a year to watch it.
No valuable to rewatch.
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Ever Love Against Ever Night
One of the best Chinese series from mainland China to date in the category of period/wuxia/xianxia drama. Yang Yang, the first female director for this type, did a magnificent job for the series in all aspects. The cinematography is stunning with picturesque locations where we get to see the beautiful sceneries Xinjiang and Guizhou have to offer, complimenting the storyline, not just within the studios or propped-up filming sets. The fight scenes and choreography are a must to be mentioned as they are superbly done with fun-to-watch CG images. I normally am not too fond of flying Gong Fu or over-the-top slow-mo aerial, heavily-wired and weird-looking fight scenes but this is different. The main cast, whether in season 1 or 2, such as Arthur Chen and Dylan Wang, portray their male lead role nicely as a capable fighter, skillfully integrating with the studio-adding special effects and the camera work makes the fight/war scenes so stylish and exciting. Yang Yang and her teams do not hold back to make it as extraordinarily enjoyable as Mao Ni's novel that the series is based on.I particularly adore the character of Song Yi Ren, my most favourite Chinese actress, who plays the miserly, ever-so-humble, kind-hearted and ever-so-dedicatedly-submissive to her Shao Ye's Sang Sang. The characteristics of this main female lead though differently depicted from the novel where she is in a status far more equal with her Shao Ye, the part is truly made for her or the other way round. She acts less for more with her diminutive body and endearing, friendly face, not to mention the soft, gentle voice of hers which is a huge change to not having to listen to the annoying, high-pitched and excessively cute, childlike voice of female leads like in so many Chinese series. She's so good in emotional teary scenes that can make the audience feel what the character feels.
Of course there are flaws, majors and trivials, but that's not uncommon for series of this production scale and I willingly overlook as long as I think those imperfections are minimal and do not degrade the overall atmosphere of the story and its development.
Those may include the voice-over for some actors or supporting roles that are not synched to a T or some scene continuity errors or the conspicuous stand-in shots and prolonged dialogues in politic setting, especially in the first season of over-stretched 60 episodes with many pseudo moments.
I have to admit that when I first see Dylan Wang as Ning Que in season 2, I frowned a bit but after a short while I started to get used to his way for the role and after a round of back-to-back watching all episodes, I do feel that he too is totally up for the part and he makes up for what Arthur Chen otherwise lacks of. They suit for the antagonist role in their own way, dictated by different scripts and how well they purportedly act out their own personality and charisma for being the playful and daring Ning Que in different timelines. Though Ning Que adequately entertains in the first season, I have qualms during the parts where he is flirting away (being so young and proud to be liked by a beautiful lady) and insufferable enough to keep hurting Sang Sang emotionally (the part of Mo Shan Shan is elaborated for the dramatic love story in the series which is very different to the novel. At the end of day he anyway realised Sang Sang is his life and soul so he dumped the lady). It would be very interesting how Arthur Chen would fare if he reprised the role in season 2 where the main leads are supposed to be more mature and scripted to express their love and care as a couple defying the world to try to stay alive together.
A little letting down on the change of cast for some other supporting roles such as the Tang Wang Ye and his Empress, Li Yu Gong Zhu and of course the Xi Ling Dao Maniac Ye Hong Yu. Praises to Adam Cheng as Fu Zi and the entire cast of his disciples at Shu Yuan who always warm the heart just by looking at them interacting together as people with nothing to do enjoying everyday life.
The OST are extremely good to the ear. Irene Song and Dylan Wang did a duet for one of the theme songs.
I can say that this is the series that pulls me back to the Wuxia delight again after so many disappointments and endlessly boring romance installments, putting me off to desperately turn to k-drama for some long years (not that much better, truth be told, in terms of the overwhelming romance genre).
Hopefully season 3 will commence soon to end the long wait and have the series completed to the satisfying end just like in the novel.
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This is just my opinion.For me season 1 is far more great and epic in everyhing.from cast to the story and music.I wish they not changed the cast.that for me is the real issue with ever night season 2.
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Not as good as the ever night
It could have been better if the wagon was not shot in one location. Overall I'm surprised the new actor was good. You can't compare him to Chen because they are two different men.Overall it is good not great as the original Ever Night. It is more of a dragging.
The ending was confusing. I don't understand if the Light became San San at the end or what.
Was San San dreaming?
That part I was confused. It could have been stronger plot. The end was boring.
I would make the story differently.
I could see why Chen would not want to make the sequel when he had better drama to put his effort.
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season 1 and 2 differences
After finished watching 2 seasons aka 103 episodes without fail simultaneously, I felt like running a 100 kilometer marathon.So to speak I finally reached to the end of all the episodes. This is the longest drama I ever watched in my life and I swear I would never do this again as his drama causing me many sleepless nights. Now I would like to comment on certain things which is not really logical about these 2 season drama.
1) Major Character personality shift
Yes I do understand every actor / actress should show up their personality potential in their plot role but they need to understand that the foundation left during season 1 had fix their role permanently towards the plot. One thing obvious
is the Tang emperor . His serious face during S1 becomes comedy look on the next season this is totally against the
flow of the story. Nothing would be more appealing than Ning Que itself. He is initially a very dominion with a barbaric
attitude suddenly change to a gentle yet full of humor on S2. it seems there is a disconnection bridge between 2 seasons.
2) Black horse
I think to best explain to myself, this is a magical horse. A horse could travel across a barren dessert without need food or drink. It even had the ability to navigate by itself to a targeted destination without need any input from it's master. This horse is simply exceeding our vehicle's GPS and I would love to have this horse as my driver
3) Fighting skill
Ning Que's fighting ability raise a lot of my eyebrow. Sometimes I guess either he is pretending or not putting his full effort to fight. In many occasions his fighting skill not comparable to Ye Hong Yu yet he can beat Ye Hong Yu's grand master to a point wheelchair bound throughout all his life.
When Ye Hong Yu badly beaten by a mutant inside the wasteland cave, Ning Que able to overcome the mutant's attack.
This shows Ning Que's outburst on fighting skill is too inconsistent. I too discover that when Sang Sang beside him, he shown a weaker side of him. By conclusion he is unable to enhance his fighting skill unless sang sang leaves him far away.
4) Season 2 final episode.
This episode is really hasty done. I think the editor simply out of ideas . First is the Xiling sect. The story ends with loose end. We does not know what would be the outcome for this sect either being totally destroyed or parted on the own evil doings.
The relationship between Ning Que and Heavenly maid is even more ambiguous. It is totally unclear what happen next after the maid changed her mind to become soft hearted again. Actually I need to stress out to the drama producer that they are making a very arrangement mistakes. First the story is very dragging . Too many flashbacks to act as a filler just to buy some time , The final episode to my biggest regret is poorly done. If they can cut all those time consuming scenes while focus on key story I believe the drama would be more pleasant to watch
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An Entierly Different Show, And Not For The Better
Let me start by saying Ever Night season 1 was and still is my favorite wuxia drama of all time. I've never been more disappointed and let down by a season 2. If this didn't have the name "Ever Night" on it and Irenie Song, I would have dropped this after a few episodes.I don't know what happened between seasons 1 and 2, maybe it was cost issues, or investors/sponsors pushing them to finish fast and cheap, maybe there wasn't enough story to tell to fill a season 2, or filming schedules and conflicts and having to replace a significant amount of the cast, maybe the censors and govt got involved to change the story... I have no idea. All I know is season 2 is like an entirely different show, and not for the better.
First of all, the recasting of the ML with Dylan Wang. This was a jarring choice. He is a very different actor from Chen Fei Yu and therefore a very different character from season 1. This dramatic change could have been minimized had they kept the same production style and feel from the first season. Even if they just kept the same storylines and plot from season 1, Dylan Wang could have eventually made a decent run with his own version of Ning Que, but neither of those was left intact.
Those weren't the only changes. Gone is the lush and cinematic camerawork from season 1. That vast and expansive world full of interesting locations and eclectic characters they built up in the previous season? Gone. Now we only have a few characters and are limited to a few locations, often only seen in small sets. Remember those dynamic and exhilarating fight scenes? Those are gone too. Now we have generic wuxia from the 90's style, with cheap-looking VFX.
Not to mention a significant portion of the cast, several of them major players from season 1 were recast. Not only were the actors different but their character's personalities changed as well. Even the actors they managed to keep from season 1 behave like they're from some bizarre alternate universe. I think this leads to the biggest issue of Ever Night season 2: the writing. The writing is atrocious. I honestly feel bad for the actors. It's as if the writers wrote out all the dialogue of what needed to be said, then randomly distributed the lines to different characters. They aren't saying things the characters would say, they're just reading lines. Not only is the dialogue noncorporeal, awkward and unusual, but they also use this terrible dialogue to fill long and drawn-out scenes, often shot in a small 1 room set with just 2 actors spewing exposition at each other, most of it full of unnecessary or repeated information that does nothing to move the plot forward. There were many episodes full of them with just scene after scene of 2 people in a room talking about nothing. I get that this is a cost-saving measure and a tool to stretch a thin plot but this was painfully dull and excruciating to get through. This basically takes up 60-70% of season 2 so brace yourself.
The overall plot also falls victim to odd and nonsensical choices. Characters do things completely out of character, sometimes even with no explainable motivation. They just do things abruptly without reason. Instances happen just to happen. There's an entire arc of 5-10 episodes that could be completely taken out without any consequence to the characters or story. It's like some useless side quest in a game. And the decision to spend a large amount of time with an entirely new actor and character is questionable. Spending long stretches of the season with the ML and FL apart from each other is baffling. Not continuing any of the previously set-up storylines from season 1 and giving us ridiculous narratives that don't go anywhere? Ludicrous. I could say more but that would wander into spoiler territory. I think you get the idea.
I hate to be entirely negative so let me highlight what I did like. Ireine Song. I could watch her watch paint dry. She is the lone saving grace to this travesty of a dumpster fire. She has such range as an actress that there were times when I almost forgot about the shoddy backdrops and painful dialogue and just watched her stretch her acting wings. Season 2 definitely gives her more to do and there is a decided focus on her character. I also warmed up to Dylan Wang's alternate version of Ning Que, which is why I think they could've salvaged season 2 had they kept the preexisting storylines from season 1.
Luckily for those who loved the previous season, Ever Night season 1 stands well on its own. We can just throw this bizzaro alternate universe season 2 straight into the garbage and appreciate what we got in season 1.
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Final episode was Horrible!
I can’t believe i watched all of season 1 and 2, just to get jipped in the final episode. There was no closure, just confusing as hell. It made absolutely no sense. What happened with xiling and tangs war? What happen to fuzi is he coming back? Did sangsang finally become her real self and live happily with ning que? Seems like ning Que got a prettier looking girl now she’s stealing sangsangs man ? that’s what i got from the ending. The show must have ran thru all the finances and concluded the show with a janky episode. I hate how so many Chinese dramas end like this. So so so bad. Ruined the whole show for me because of one final episodeWas this review helpful to you?
