The Blood of Youth (2022)

Momentum sustained for exactly half way, then they lose it.

The story starts with the mysterious origin of the ML. He considers himself as a loser, but his vibes say it differently. It's interesting to find out what all this contrast and background story are about.

The story advances in fast progress that I can mostly absorb the story development without having enough time to spend on digesting and considering the story puzzles. Along the way, eccentric characters keeps showing up in succession. It's exciting and hard to predict what their actions would be.

However, this fast and addictive pace loses momentum after a vital point being unraveled right in the middle of the whole series. I skim a lot starting from EP.21. There're some important scenes in EP.25 and 27 that can slow me down a bit. Apart from that, only when Wuxin appears in the scene that I would pay attention at all. Wuxin remains as the last interesting character in this series for me. It's only genuinely interesting when he comes out.

This story is much about the brotherhood. They don't emphasize on the romantic aspect and I would hope so much for they to not mind telling the love story in this series at all because the job they've done with the love story lines is much awful. The ML together with his 2 martial brothers forming into three romantic couples. None of them have chemistry between each other.

And the couple with the worst chemistry is the ML & FL themselves. It's like someone command ML to must fall for FL, which I still don't see how ML have feelings for her at all. I don't feel any speck of love from him. FL openly shows her interest toward ML with some other character, but she herself has weak impression. She has no charm whatsoever and tends to be annoying. I don't know if this is about character design or it's because of the acting skills of the actress, but I am so lazy to watch her scenes. Among all the female characters in this series, the Divine Healer is the only one who caught my eyes and is endearing to watch in my opinion. She's too young to be matched up with ML, though.

There're last 10 episodes left for me. I'm waiting to see how my feelings for this series are going to pan out. Hope it wouldn't drop more than it has so far.

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Imaginative tale from parts of Lord Buddha’s life story!!

Really, had to applaud the writer’s inspiration on making an imaginative and fantastic tale out of Lord Buddha‘s story!
Spoiler Alert!
Imagine how would a ½ human and ½ awakened being of the 8 practices of Buddhism (right thought, right speech, right effort, right action, etc) be like? He would have the ambiance of serenity, spell-binding awe, nobility and grace while bringing enlightenment to every scene he was in – kudos to Liu Xue Yi! He played it to perfection!
Also to Li Hong Yi, as he had to play Lord Buddha story of the renunciation of the throne and from worldly affairs. He was great in depicting Xiao Se with a cool aura, dashing resolute and an air of detachment.
Lord Buddha was of course foremost in ESP powers so in the story Xiao Se was the principal in martial powers. Some of Lord Buddha disciples were famous with specific psychic powers like telepathy, transcendental, clairvoyance etc. Xiao Se had companions in Lei Wu Jie, Sikong Qian Luo and Tang Lian , each with specific weapons.
1 great disciple transcendental to the lower realm and saw his mother suffering. This started the Buddhist tradition of transference of merits to ancestors during the ghost festival. In the drama, Mo Yi and Baili Dong Jun went to other realms. Mo Yi met with his dead sister and Baili Dong Jun, his dead wife, both were then cured from their mental sufferings.
1 character cannot have a wedding night scene - "non returner" on the path to nirvana which is 3 lifetimes of celibacy.
1 blood related relative plotted to kill Lord Buddha many times because of jealousy and envy which is considered 1 of the 5 “poisons” in Buddhism.
There was no FL in the Lord Buddha life story ! Often Sikong Qian Lou felt out of place in the drama!
Some of the gems of Buddhism teachings- don’t associate with non-virtuous friends. In the ending episode, the eye-opener conversation piece of the Director to Lord Bai which must had been a replay to his old buddy, the emperor, about Lord Langya that started the mess.
Don’t blindly accept anything handed down – tearing up the scrolls.
Free to explore any practices/religions - sit on that throne, if don’t feel right, leave it.
Everyone has a Buddha within /Buddha nature – Sikong Chang Feng to Tang Lian on making difficult choices: “follow your heart”. The emperor had heart disease as he follows his Ego not his heart.
Overall the actors and actresses that were selected played their parts so brilliantly that when some of them left the story, their memorable roles still lingered.

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This was honestly not was I was expecting at all. At first the show already started off really slow so it didn't really motivate me to watch hence this drama took me a couple of months to watch since I kept procrastinating to watch this. After the first few episodes, it gets a bit more interesting. Later on after he goes back to the palace is when everything starts going downhill.

I hate dramas that have an interesting beginning that motivates me to continue to watch but then they are revealed as a prince or someone important for the imperial palace and a bunch of court affairs and politics happens and it makes the story really really boring. After he gets his title as prince, there's just way too many stuff that happens and too much info for my brain to take in. I didn't understand anything they were saying and it wasn't honestly just confusing.

I don't really recommend this drama, unless you like politics, but I'm very disappointed.

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Five Go Wuxia

Just one of the best dramas I've seen. I don't normally watch dramas with a lot of martial arts, as I get too stressed (I have PTSD) but in this drama, the fighting is manga-fied to the point where it's beautiful, acrobatic, a joy to watch, but not too violent. The characters are really engaging, and there's something exhilirating about watching the Wuxia genre played to the max, and beyond, without falling off the edge into ridiculous. I think this is a wondefully skillful production, with really sustained attention to detail. Love it. Perfect. I'm really hoping they can sustain the pace of the story. I'll come back and edit this if it looses momentum, and ends up in the badlands of all those other long c-dramas which lose their way. ... I've made it to episode 26 now, and no sign of flagging. I've increased my rating in fact. Totally hooked. Wuxin is my favourite.

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Go watch now don’t wait don’t hesitate!!!

I regret that I didn’t watch it sooner but thank god i did watch it i mean better late than never 😉 xiaose (li hongyi) character is so cool here like seriously super cool 😭 and all of the characters also cool as well lei wujie, wuxin, tanglian, qianluo, ruoyi you guys have my whole heart ❤️ i love their friendship so much seriously the best drama ever in terms of wuxia 10/10 also it’s my first time seeing a drama with so many characters and all of the characters are interesting and kinda cool tho with their own power. And this drama has the most perfect beginning, plot and the ending is so satisfying i like it so much!! I really hope they will make season 2 i want to see more of the martial arts world and to see their reunion with wuxin

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My Kinda Jam

The beginning part was completely out of this world because it was all martial arts, the later episodes were more scheming and it took away a little bit of the essence of what made me fall in love with the series in the first place, I’m not adverse to schemes in a series so it didn’t damper it to much for me. The only problem I had was that I didn’t think it needed any romance and while I have nothing against mismatched couples this one’s just didn’t do it for me at all. There was absolutely no chemistry or even any type of sparks flying between the pair of Xiao Se/Sikong & Lei Wu Jie/Ye Ruo Yi, especially Xiao & Sikong (their romantic moment interactions was really painful to watch IMO) and the writers trying to force the couple thing to work was just cringy to say the least. I really wish they took the faux romance part out. They could have all just been martial brothers and sisters. All that being said, as much as I wanted to take out some points because of the forced romantic pairings because trust me it was incredibly bad and I so badly wanted to but I decided against it as the overall series did outweigh the poor romance efforts so I still gave it a solid 10⭐️.
Xiao Se was a breathtaking character and Li Hong Yi who portrayed him is such a good actor and did a very fine job. He sure brought Xiao Se/Xiao Chu He/Prince Yong An characters to life. He’s surely becoming one of my faves. My favorite character and I think he will also be that for most of the viewers is none other than Wu Xin, he’s one liners were a thing of joy. I wish he featured more throughout the series especially at the later episodes. Every moment he was on screen was important and meaningful. I also applaud Liu Xue Yi for going all in for this character, starting with agreeing to shave his hair for the role (he looked so handsome) and then bringing the character to life. The Bromance between Xiao Se&Wu Xin, Xiao Se&Lie Wu Jie, Xiao Se/Wu Xin&Lei Wu Jie was the only relationship that was needed to be very honest. One of my major disappointment was that we never got to see Spear Deity fight.
The top3 fights:
3rd place goes to the fight between Lone Deity and Xiao Se in Tianqi City.
2nd place goes to Baili DongJun (Liquor Deity) and Mo Yi (Earth Deity) on the celestial island.
1st place goes to Tang Lian against the Dark river people. OMG Tang Lian stole all our hearts with the fight. The actor that played this role did such an awesome job with it.
The CGI and fighting choreography was so incredible I was pleasantly gobsmacked. It fulfilled all my martial arts fantasies and then some.
Rewatch value 10/10 (I have already rewatched)
Overall 10/10.
I highly recommend.

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THE BEST DRAMA EVER

It was the first time that i watched so quickly a drama like that. The plot was awesome and original, and the action didn't let me be bored. I loved all the characters and my favorite was Wuxin, who was one of the protagonist and i would prefer to have more scenes due to his ranking cast. The music was special , one of the best. Also, the cast was perfect and for sure i will wach it again not only for the actors, but also about the plot. I am intrested to read the novel and also the donghua version.
I recommend it for everyone that loves action. It has not a lot of romance but for sure gives a lot of messages for the relaionships with the family, friends and strangers. Please give a special attention in this drama, besides the mark of dramalist for now it is no random. I believe that deserve for sure and more this ranking.
Thank you and i am waiting for dramas like this one.

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Boring, but low on Angst, Great Friendship in the end.

I was curious to why The Blood of Youth had such high ratings. I knew there wouldn’t be a romance (well, it’s not heavily featured) but the cast seemed solid, so I thought to give it a go. I will have to say, I wanted to love it like everyone else, but it just simply okay for me. In fact, I would describe it as fairly boring and REALLY slow pace.

I don’t need romance to be the focal point of the story, I enjoyed Joy of Life and the simple slow pace of The Untamed. I however I wasn’t a big fan of Sword Snow Stride, but at least that drama had better “romance”.

Overall, I found The Blood of Youth a little boring and not enough romantic gestures.

I did love the loyalty between the core cast. I enjoyed watching the little story arcs and the comical theme / tone of the drama. I didn’t really care for the palace politics and really did feel like the drama could have been shorten by 10 episodes at least.

The costumes were good, but there wasn’t enough variation and the hair and make-up was decent. I thought there was A LOT of story arcs to go through and I found some hit or miss for me. I tend to like the tragic side love stories more, than the tragic friendship / family ones.

The ML was the star of the show for me. I really appreciate his acting, it’s the cold stoic acting, but not too much under acting, which made him so cool. Love the different type of friends he made, for example, the silly simple one, the beautiful child-hood friend and the quirky non-practicing monk.

I think if you started the drama and was completely drawn, then go for it, continue the series. I was holding out for the more impressive scenes, like the epic fight scenes or “romance” exchanges you kind of get (but not really). I actually put on my calendar to force myself to watch at least 2 episodes a day.

To sum up, these friendship base dramas with lack of romance are hit or miss for me. I didn’t love it but I can see why everyone else did.

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Blood will out, and spill more blood.

"I want to travel north with the wind, watching the snow sweep across the land.
I wish to travel east by boat to see the elegant fairy brave the wind.
I wish to travel thousands of miles with the clouds, even the Emperor ruling the court cannot stop me.
I will bathe in the sunlight at the top of Mount Kunlun.
I will witness lush mountains rise at the edge of the ocean.
We shall reunite after a long journey.
But I won't go home until I've seen the world."
- Wuxin, episode 5

If you needed a reason to watch 'The Blood of Youth', the above quote from Wuxin summarises the mood that this show wants to encapsulate. That period of time between infancy and adulthood - where you know enough about the world to believe it is yours for the taking, and not enough about it to realise the world is something no man can own. The moment where you feel so invincible; you manage to fool yourself into thinking you really are.

Xiao Se, a favoured prince, certainly believed he was untouchable; yet, after a humbling battle with a far more experienced opponent, he found himself crippled and alone - in a self-inflicted exile. That day, he thought, was the day that his childhood died; but when he met wandering traveller Lei Wujie, he saw his opportunity to step out of the shadows, and to reclaim the youth that was stolen from him.

If you like Wuxia, then this show is definitely for you, but any casual C-Drama watchers will enjoy it as well. Although at times the over saturation of tropes can be annoying, they are part of the appeal of this show (by now I've accepted that every female love interest in a historical or fantasy C-Drama is condemned to act like a whining 5 year old). Yet, for the most part; the women in this drama are portrayed well, and are not to be trifled with.

The issue comes in part with the pacing; the ending felt rushed in comparison to areas of the Drama which were given time they did not deserve, and for the sake of drama an entirely unneeded character death was thrown in, which seemed to have no other purpose than to shock. For example, one of the leads disappears for half the drama, only to return in an unforeseen but again, irritating way. Many of the plot points felt at times decorative rather than integral to the story.

I criticise the show so heavily in part, because it had so much potential. If the writing had been a bit more tidy and concise in places, it would have been 10's all around - but it's tainted by a seeming need to appeal to everyone, and consequently, not doing any one trope or theme entirely right. This is not to say the drama isn't filled with iconic moments that will leave you wanting more, but I wish it would have found it's feet, and picked a camp to settle down in rather than wandering around for 40 episodes: what should have been an emotional story of the pain and beauty of youth became a half-court, half-martial arts, half-revenge, half-romance, half-tragedy, half-comedy drama, which never really picked what it wanted to be.

Yet, as I said; the reason our sentiments about what went badly are so deep is because what went well was so enjoyable - and flaws and all, I would definitely recommend this show as an essential watch for any Wuxia or C-Drama fan.

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The Best Wuxia Drama of 2022

For me personally i really like this drama because i watched i think 2 episodes of the great journey of young teenager (the donghua version of Blood of Youth) i hope i got the name of the donghua version of this drama correct but anyways back to what i was trying to say is that this drama is too perfect its too perfect so if you're someone here scrolling through reviews with doubts on whether to watch the show or not... watch the show you will not be disappointed ..
One thing that stands out the most that people talk about is the production and story lineof the drama but for me its the cast . The cast has played their role so well that after finishing an episode you're tempted to watch the next episode it's crazy.

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Wuxia As It Should Be

The Blood of Youth is what live action anime/manga adaptations should be. Sure, it has its flaws and I have some gripes here and there, but it is still one of the best fantasy series I've seen, full stop. The story revolves around a young disgraced prince who was exiled and had lost his martial arts abilities, and his pursuit of the truth and justice. Along the way, he meets like-minded people and together they become celebrated heroes as they uncover a sinister plot that could very well destroy their world. It might seem tropey and simplistic enough but the political machinations and chess-like games the characters play are reminiscent of dramas like Shogun and even Game of Thrones, making it far more complicated than you think it actually is. The fantasy elements in this drama are what really drew me in from the get-go. The setting, the martial prowess of the characters, their magical weapons, and powerful inner forces reminded me so much of anime series like Gensomaden Saiyuki, Bleach, and even Fushigi Yugi. The swords that have consciousness of their own, especially, made me think of the zanpakutou of the shinigami in Bleach. In fact, one particular sword technique looked very much like Byakuya's Senbonzakura to me. If you're an anime fan like me, you would definitely appreciate this aspect of the drama.

I'm glad that the Chinese have at least given me a truly enjoyable series akin to the shonen anime I so love watching. As I've said, it is not a perfect series objectively speaking. The length of this drama is one of its strengths but also its main weakness. Because it spans 40 episodes, the writers had enough time to build this rich pugilistic world of warriors with incredible powers, and flesh out its multi-layered characters. But it's also because of its length that the narrative seems to have lost its way somewhere in the middle with story arcs becoming convoluted and the previous buildup being ruined, resulting in some pivotal events feeling unearned. Some of the characters are forgotten and some are pushed into the limelight for no logical reason, while some supposedly important characters are introduced only halfway through the series with minimal to zero character development, making them a lot less significant and endearing. And then there's the underdeveloped romance. But as far as the writing is concerned, those are my only real complaints. The rest I can forgive.

One of the highlights of this series is the stunning aesthetics and cinematography. I immediately fell in love with the design of Snowfall Villa, Xiao Se's inn in the middle of a snowy countryside. The cinematography has a surreal and fairy tale-esque look to it that I can't help but want to live in that world. The visual effects could've used a little more polishing but they are more than sufficient for a drama series of this scale. I was actually surprised they were able to make it look that good! The costumes are a tad bit too colorful for my taste at times but I suppose the style suits the world of bold and adventurous youths. The fight choreography is superb! It's not as poetically beautiful as the one in Word of Honor or stylistically cool as Mysterious Lotus Casebook's, but they did remarkably well with the action scenes in this drama. Kudos to the actors who worked their butt off to make the scenes believable and aesthetically pleasing. The music is one of the best parts of this drama. The song Wind by Yu Zhao Yuan is quite possibly the best theme I've heard in a C-drama. But I'm probably biased because it's a pop rock track, which is relatively uncommon in C-dramas and more my cup of tea.

The characters, for the most part, are so well-written that at some point, you start to think of them as your friends and you become attached to them, growing fearful that some of them may not come out of their battles unscathed. That's how endearing they become as the series progresses. But I do have some beefs here and there, and it mostly concerns one female character that I wished wasn't part of this story at all. Ji Xie is a far more interesting character and yet she barely gets any screen time let alone character development. What a waste! I also wished they didn't do some of the characters dirty. Tang Lian and Wuxin are my favorites apart from Lei Wujie so to have them sidelined was gravely disappointing. There's a season 2 so perhaps these characters will get their due respect.

Overall, this is one very well made drama that deserves praise and certainly could use a sequel or sequels in the near future. It is based on a series of novels so they do have a wealth of material to work with. A season 2 is already being planned and it has a prequel series featuring the older generation of heroes like Baili Dong Jun.

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