A truly timeless and compelling fantasy work that deserves to be considered a Classic of its genre!
Please keep in mind that this review is written in 2022 which is ~17 years after the drama aired. Thus, my rating is heavily influenced on where this drama stands at the time of production and airing, and how well it aged throughout time.Rewatch Value: 5 year old me watched this for the first time as it was airing, it has been 17 years, yet the drama left a deep enough impression on me that I am now writing this in 2022 after watching it 10+ times. Needless to say 10/10 for Rewatch Value. Disregarding my emotions towards this drama, objectively, Lotus Lantern is written/filmed in a way that you have to watch it at least 2 times. Once to enjoy the story, and the second to carefully study all of the details you glossed over the 1st time because you are in for one of the best plot-twists of the decade.
Music: You really can't compare it to modern day drama osts because there is a big difference between how a production treats its music today and 17 years ago. If you do compare it, Lotus Lantern ost would be 2.5-6/10 in today's standards depending on who you ask. I gave it a 7/10 based on how the OST and instrumentals contribute to the plot and each scene based on that era's production quality and standards. The soundtrack also stood up well against time, and fits well with the story's theme.
Acting/Cast: I cannot imagine anyone else in the role of any of the characters in Lotus Lantern other than the current casting. Everyone including both main and supporting role delivered their role in such an outstanding manner. For the sake of length I'll only focus on the main characters.
Cao Jun, Shu Chang, and Yvonne Lim all understood and portrayed their roles well. The trio delivered their role as a coming of age character that finds personal goals and maturing throughout the process fantastically. I praise each of them for knowing how to embrace their character progression very well. It really shows that they took time to understand their characters to be able to pinpoint exactly how their character should act in a given situation within the script.
Vincent Jiao carried the show for me (90% reason why I keep rewatching this). He delivered such a convincing Marshal God/ God of Justice who is both strong in strength and in wisdom. We are all too familiar to shows falling short on showing powerful gods that we question: how did you even live long enough to get into power and not have people trying to overthrow you? Er Lang Shen is not a character like that, and the character is depicted so well by Vincent. Such an outstanding performance of a cold ruthless, sly, manipulative antagonist who is motivated by power and authority. The actor is so good in showing his character motivations through both action and dialogue. His control of his micro-expressions are beyond great. The actor shows that he understands his character with progression of character and moral. This can be seen by how he delivers his role in both Lotus Lantern and its Sequel. There is a clear distinction in every point on the timeline for Er Lang Shen that shows personality and character growth. Vincent is hands down the best representation of Er Lang Shen to date!
Story: Without spoiling, what I can say is this story is a well balanced coming of age drama that touches on the ideas of reformation. Aside from the cast going on one big mission, each characters have their own personal goals and struggles that help build up to the story as well. We see a group of young individuals coming together to establish friendship and companionship to learn from each other and many characters from the older generation to accomplish one primary goal. The goal is to save the protagonist's mother, but it quickly shifts to a more symbolic mission. The drama is meaningful because it shows a personal goal manifesting into a full mission to reform the unjustified laws of this fantasy world. There is a clash between our protagonists and the hierarchy that refuses to acknowledge its flaws. Each character has their own perks, flaws, and motivation which makes them all relatable despite existing in a fantasy world. The show is well balanced with light-hearted elements and very dark themes, which makes it overall a joy to watch.
Edit: I kinda focused a lot on praising the setup and logic behind the story that I accidentally glossed over the fact that this drama also heavily features romance. There is a love square that stretches throughout the entire drama. The romance aspect of it may appeal to some people and repel others. Take this as a warning from someone who enjoys the romance genre :)
Overall Verdict: 9.5/10 for mostly the story and acting. There are a combination of themes explored throughout the story and are portrayed exceptionally by the actors and actresses. There are some plot holes in the story but it is explained in detail in the sequel "The Prelude of Lotus Lantern (2009)" which is Er Lang Shen's story on how he became the God of Justice. That drama offers a setup for Lotus Lantern and explains in detail on why the world is at this state and ties a lot into actual Chinese mythology.
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