Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023)

Wow

I'm usually really bad at finishing dramas because they're just so long, but this one held my interest through all 40 episodes. I finished this drama in six days, which is definitely a record for me, and I loved every minute of it. The characters and their dynamics are compelling and each of the cases are interesting and fun to watch. Not a romance, which was fine by me as the platonic relationships between all of the characters were perhaps more compelling than they would have been had it been romantic. Non-stop action with light-hearted moments sprinkled in between made it perfect, and the satisfying ending for all of the antagonists was the cherry on top. The ending of episode 40 was a little disappointing, but immediately following that with the special episode changed my mind completely, and I actually really like the ending. It's only been a day since I finished watching, but I already miss the main trio so much...

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A mixture of action, thriller, mystery, and investigation

In my opinion, this is, perhaps, the best wuxia drama throughout the world of c-drama. This is also the second Cheng Yi's project that I've ever watched after got hooked up by 'Love and Redemption'.

The plot is craved perfectly and executed well. There is no single filler in every scene. The actions are... WOW!!! If you tread the story carefully, you can see that every case intertwines with one another - from trivial small cases to important great cases. In the end of the show, there is a little twist and turn which will determine the ultimate villain and the main lead (Li Xiangyi) real identity. I'm impressed at how the main leads try to solve the cases even though each case is a bit illogical in modern times (maybe people at those times believe more in superstition). I even paused for a little while to figure out how to solve the cases, but ended up being puzzled. If you just want to enjoy the show, you can ignore those illogical stuffs and keep going on. Anyway, it won't deflect you from watching this masterpiece.

We have 3 main leads (Li Xiangyi aka Li Lianhua, Fang Duobing, and Di Feisheng) with different personalities and styles. So it's no wonder why they always bickering. Previously, Li Xiangyi was an arrogant and selfish boy with great martial arts skills, who only wanted to be the best in the martial arts world and never cared how other felt towards him which would lead his friends distrust him. However, he still had a good side of him which was being wise when making decisions. Now living in Li Lianhua's persona, he has turned into a sly old fox (as how Fang Duobing branded him) and become more deceitful. No matter how deceitful and sly he was, he just wanted to live a good life in his remainder days (this is the reason why he decided to leave the martial arts world for good). Cheng Yi once again showed off his cool acting skills and he really is a versatile one, showing ranges of emotions in every scene.

Fang Duobing was a young master of Tianji Manor. He was a typical spoiled little brat who recently ventured into the vast world. He trusted people too easily which got him into troubles many times. As the show progress, he started becoming mature and make a skillful detective in Baichuan Court. Joseph Zeng nailed his role quite well and his baby face fitted his character as well.

Di Feisheng is Li Xiangyi's arch nemesis. After Li Xiangyi's downfall, he began to investigate this case secretly and found out that Li Xiangyi was still alive. His purpose of living was to have another duel with him. Di Feisheng might not be your typical antagonist, although he was considered as the king of demon in Jinyuan Alliance, he still had a kind personality beneath. Xiao Shunyao did well in here and I'm impressed by his portrayal of Di Feisheng.

How about the rewatch value? Of course, it's going to be a high one. So far, I've rewatched 3 times and I still can't move on from this show. The ending is either a happy or a sad one - I don't want Li Lianhua to die just yet so let's just say he has now lived in a secluded life and is now enjoying his days (I feel sorry for his 2 friends, I wish they could be together and reunite once more).

Don't hesitate to watch this masterpiece. You won't regret your time. I guarantee you, soooner or later, you will be captivated by the engaging plot. Happy watching!!!!

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Not bad but not self standing

This drama in my opinion felt carried by Cheng Yi mostly...it felt like without Cheng Yi it wouldn't be that entertaining and it was not bad as he was there to make the drama be watchable for me as I love watching the way Cheng Yi act but that was all that made me enjoyit and this act between Cheng Yi and Zeng Shun Xi 8n 30th episode specifically made me love it and the way Cheng Yi sword danced but it is not the type of drama I usually enjoy about...I enjoy more dramas that feature normal romance but this 1 had this Cheng Yi way of acting with poison and he was pitiful because of this poison and he was so caring for his friend and his friend cared for him and that made me enjoy this drama to that extent

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A little frustrated with the ending

Interesting story about detective, mystery & martial art worlds that collide together. Not much mystery story that can be part ways from politic, but this drama although not completely part ways, you can still tell they're not really glue together like the usual way.

Really like to see Cheng Yi act outside his usual character, where he usually play cold with limit or even no expression man, here we can see more expression from Cheng Yi together with his outgoing & aloof character. Together with childish character of Joseph Zeng, they make beautiful combination of partner and more addition of Xiao Shun Yao in the end make the group complete with quite interesting character to watch.

Really interesting to see how the story evolve in the drama. How they unraveled the secret a little by little so in the end all make sense. But sometimes I must say it's also kinda uninterested to see the case seems unrelated to each other, it's like they forcing the case to be there in the first place, just to make the story about cases & they work solving the case together.

Really admire the characteristic of Li Lian Hua, how he's in the end released forgiveness for who already did him wrong, kinda let go feeling before he face his death. But still how many of us can say people from martial world have that relieved feeling to forgive all of that wronged them, usually they only talk about taking revenge...

But in the end this drama leave unsatisfied feeling in my heart about the ending. Kinda hope we have more clear about the ending,... The special episode also not much of a help. Don't know why they bothered to make the special episode... :(

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One of the best c dramas I've watched.

I'm not a fan of romantic dramas but a huge lover of fantasy genre. So I've been very picky when watching c dramas and watched this after reading a lot of reviews that recommended it. Fair to say I was not let down by the hype this how had. From the cast, to the dialogues, cinematography and the plot it'd keep you gripped onto your couch or bed ;) It has a very unique plot and an engaging story line with no lags. I binged all 40 episodes over the weekend and couldn't resist myself from falling in love with Cheng Yi. His screen presence was majestic, and he flawlessly transitions from a goofy nomad to a serious swordsman. Couldn't get over how cute Jospeh Zang was and his bickering scenes definitely make you rewatch this drama. I really loved how they didn't villainize Xiao Shun Yao, instead showed the story from his pov too.

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When Letting it go, becomes the hardest and most beautiful thing to do

It's been a while since I've come across a complex character as shrewd and layered as Mei Chang Su in Nirvana in Fire, and an actor like Hu Ge who can pull off such a portrayal convincingly well. So when I read the synopsis of Mysterious Lotus Casebook, about how a disillusioned man, Li Xiang Yi, abandons his identity, relationships and past glory in order to discover the truth about the past, my curiosity was piqued and before I knew it, I binged through 40 episodes of this period costume investigative mystery drama.

The drama is helmed by 3 male characters who come from significantly different backgrounds. Li Xiang Yi, the lead protagonist of the story, is a stray orphan with missing parents. He and his senior, Shan Gudao, another orphan, are picked up by a kind couple, who take them in and train them up in martial arts. Because of his gifted skills, Li Xiang Yi becomes crowned as Sigu sect's visionary leader despite his young age. His peer rival is Di Fei Sheng, a cold, apathetic leader of another pugilistic sect, the Jinyuan Alliance. Fang Duobing/Xiaobao, a Government official's adopted son, is born physically weak, frail and handicapped. He grows up within the sheltered and restricted confines of a wealthy powerful family that is known for manufacturing sophisticated weaponry and contraptions.

Di Fei Sheng grows up as an abandoned child enslaved by a cruel bandit who grooms slaves as personal assassins. He eventually becomes the head honcho of the Jinyuan Alliance, a rival pugilistic sect to the Sigu sect, known more for their ruthless skulduggery more than their charitable merits. Di Fei Sheng's sole aspiration in life is to is dethrone Li Xiang yi's number 1 martial arts status so that he can be recognised as the most skilled martial artist on the jianghu. Fang Duobing/Xiaobao, on the other hand, harbours his own aspirations of breaking into the pugilistic world and becoming recognised as a credible detective at the Bai Chuan Yuan agency. He has absolutely no interest in being caged into a moulded life of politics and arranged marriage, but instead has a fanatical obsession about Li Xiang Yi, his childhood idol, so much that he self-declares Li Xiang Yi to be his Shifu and himself to be Li Xiang Yi disciple.

The story starts with Li Xiang Yi fighting Di Fei Sheng out in the middle of a stormy sea, thinking he was the culprit behind the death and disappearance of his senior in the Sigu Sect, Shan Gudao. Li Xiangyi is heavily poisoned and ends up being defeated by Di Fei Sheng during this battle. His body is swept up along the sea currents and washed away on a faraway shore. His body is not found and his death is presumed to explain his 10 year disappearance.

10 years later, Li Xiang yi re-emerges as Li Lian Hua. Using this new name and persona, Li Lian Hua makes his living as a quack doctor capable of "curing" people from disease and death while he roams around freely with a pet dog in his triple-storeyed mobile caravan, growing and cooking his own vegetables. On the surface, he pretends to be a carefree hippie living in some kind of Howl's moving castle, occupied with the simple sustainable farm-to-table life. Under this cover, he lies low to stealthily gather clues about his senior's death while deliberately keeping a strategic distance from his Sigu sect members and girlfriend lover, all remnants of his former glory and past. He wants no interference during his own investigation because he is absolutely focused on finding his missing senior's remains and hellbent on tracking down the murderer behind his senior's death.

The trio's paths converge when Fang Duobing latches onto Li Lianhua to borrow his brain to help him crack unexplainable murder mystery cases happening across the city and Di Fei sheng realises that Li Xiangyi is actually Li Lian Hua. Each of the guys start out with their own motives and unexpectedly, form a bromance over their shared experiences of cracking several murder mystery cases as a team.

Each of the guys also start out in the dark, being woefully ignorant about different things. Fang Duobing has no idea that he is actually an adopted son and that Li Lian Hua is actually his childhood idol Li Xiang Yi in disguise. Li Xiang Yi has no idea who actually poisoned him and does not realise his senior Shan Gudao is actually still alive. Di Fei Sheng has no idea that the only reason why he defeated Li Xiang Yi out at sea was because Li Xiang Yi was already heavily poisoned before their epic showdown and his own Jinyuan alliance key members had already bought over by Shan Gudao. At the end of the story, they each come to their own revelation about the truths surrounding their biological lineage and backstory. More beautifully, each of the 3 male characters grow to accept each other as loyal comrades and trusted partners, as they each struggle to reconcile with the uncomfortable truths from their past and look past each others differences and prejudices.

This drama was highly enjoyable to watch as it has unexpectedly comedic moments whenever a misunderstanding arose between the 3 male leads. But most importantly, the script was coherent and sufficient clues were dropped during the earlier murder mysteries to help the viewers connect the dots as the overarching conspiracy surrounding Shan Gudao's disappearance following his death unfolds towards the end of the drama.

Sizzling romance and couple chemistry does not form the main appeal of this drama, which is quite refreshing for a change. Quite the contrary, we see plenty of unrequited romance from the 3 male leads. Li Xiangyi smothers the romantic longings of his former longtime girlfriend and his frenzy of girl fans in waiting, Fang Duo bing happily breaks off an engagement with a palace princess, Di Fei Sheng shirks off and eventually finishes off a his crazy sadistic female subordinate. The 3 main lead characters seem more interested in their accomplishing their own agendas and protecting the loyalty around their bromance. Thankfully, there are no tropey love triangles or wallflowers to defocus the drama from it's main storyline.

Li Xiang Yi/Li Lian Hua has become one of my favourite fictional characters amongst the Chinese costume period dramas because what truIy sets him apart from other wuxia heroes is his ability to deny himself of his ego, past grudges, ambitions and personal desires for the sake of others and let it all go to face a future full of unknowns. I feel like the show has ended in an incomplete way and I really hope there will be a season 2 in the making!

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THE MOST INCREDIBLE WUXIA DRAMA I'VE EVER WATCHED

I began watching it out of boredom. Btw, I am not really a fan of cdrama, just a casual watcher of some good dramas out there tgt with kdrama and jodrama.. BUT THIS ONE BECAME MY STARTING POINT TO GET OBSESSED WITH CDRAMAS!! I am wanting for more coz this is THAT GOOD!! And CHENG YI!! I BECAME HIS FAN INSTANTLY!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S INTO HIM BUT I GOT HOOKED AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START!! I JUST LOVE HIM THAT MUCH!! ?

I'M SORRY! LET'S GO BACK TO REVIEWING THE DRAMA!!

This is really good! I'm lost for words!! Usually I really skip scenes but this one, I didn't skip anything and sometimes I repeat scenes coz I want more!! (Specially the dance LXY had!! It was soooo mesmerizing ugh!!) EVERYTHING IS REALLY GOOD HERE! The actors, actings, osts, storyline, the plot and settings! It was perfect (well atleast imo hehe)

If you are hesitating to start coz there's no romance, you better start it nowwwww!! You don't really need romance to make the drama incredible (imo hehe) And I love the friendship here!!! It was beautiful and tbh I want someone like xiaobao in my lifetoo coz he is a keeper!!! I wanna keep him!! TT

I LOVE IT!! THAT'S IT! AND I WANNA REWATCH IT!! ❤️❤️

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Excellent drama with one flaw

THE STORY:
I started this thinking that we'd get to see detective stories, where I could solve cases together with the heroes. The cases were, although interesting, not of that sort. They all made sense, but the audience often only got to see the clues at the time Li Lianhua or Fang Duobing revealed them to their co-characters. The cases themselves were overshadowed by the overarching plot relatively early, so for me, they did not have too much merit by themselves, and only served as a vehicle to move the story forward.
The overarching story wasn't that complicated, we got to guess the main villain quite early, and some of the plot twists weren't that twisty for me.
(Also, the main plot point -- evil people from a defeated foreign country try to overthrow the mighty and just and overall better [China] and fail -- is typical Chinese nationalist fare.)
What makes the story interesting, is the journey of Li Lianhua, both in the past, which is revealed to us in increments, and in the present -- Li Lianhua, who is terminally ill and is pulled into the Jianhu after ten years of solitude, whose journey is one of finding closure, of forgiving or avenging, of finding meaning in life and death.

A plus, for me, is also that the series has little romance -- most of it finds it conclusion within three episodes or so around episode 20 (they decide their romance will stay in the past only). Unfortunately, most female characters' motivation still circles around love, more on that see below.

The story unfolds over 36 episodes, which never drag or feel rushed. The series kept my interest throughout -- the pacing was always just right.

THE CHARACTERS:
Li Lianhua is a wonderfully human character. He is flawed, he lies, he deceives but still seems to be a person who has his values he lives by. He is a miracle doctor and a horrible cook. He is someone who pushes others away, and it's never quite clear if it's to protect the other person or himself. He is selfish in his last decision, and at the same time sacrifices his life (essence) for others over and over again. Li Lianhua is world-weary but can still find solace in the little joys in life and seems to believe that most people are ultimately good.
Li Xiangyi was young and inexperienced. He trusted wholeheartedly -- but also judged hard. He thought he was the most important person in the sect -- and died because of it.

I also loved the other two main characters -- loved their banter, of course. They both had their distinct personalities and unique goals. Fang Doubing and Di Feisheng had good character development -- more time to show their personalities and their inner life would have been even better.

The one thing that irked me for the most part of the series was the portrayal of the female characters. Their motivations mainly circled around "love" (or a version thereof), and usually, they had no agency without a man. Let's look at the four most prominent women:
Jiao Li Qiao: Her motivation for anything is to get Di Feisheng as her husband. That's it.
Qiao Wan Mian: She is important as the past love interest of Li Xiangyi, who waited for ten years for him. Later, she gets a bit more agency, but it remains half-hearted. Has she left Zijin or not? Why does she take his Sect leader token but does not take on the role herself? (He is obviously still the sect leader later.)
Master He (Fang doubig's mother): She's the only woman without an interest in pursuing another man; the only one who is shown with significant skills who can contribute to the fight. She is also the only married woman, and the only middle-aged woman, so it's probably just that she's "too old" to be a potential love interest who can be heroically disregarded.
The princess: Her interest in marrying Fang Doubing is somewhat understandable -- as a princess she lives a highly regulated life, and probably knows that the only chance to get a bit of freedom is as a married woman. (Of course, her interest has to take a backseat next to her fiancé's desires.)
There's also the young girl who we first meet when she disguises herself as a man -- she could have easily been a cunning woman with a network of informants or a vast library. But no! She always gets her information from her grandfather and she is allowed to bring Li Lianhua to her brother for treatment.

That's enough of a rant for this review. Let's close with another excellent aspect:

THE ACTING:
I did not find one actor unsatisfying. The minor characters were all right throughout.
All three main characters were portrayed incredibly well. Especially Chen Yi (Li Lianhua) who needed to show his multi-layered personality without words had excellent micro-expressions. Di Feisheng is probably more interesting than the script itself has provided because Xiao Xun Yao manages to hint for underlying emotions of his character from the first second we get to see him on screen.
And a special mention has to go to Rain Wang (Jiao Li Qiao), who, despite her single-trait character, shows how chillingly deranged Jiao Li Qiao has become over the course of the series.

OVERALL:
This is, despite the one flaw, a series that tells a story about friendship, betrayal and revenge -- and a man who just wants to have a quiet death.
Recommended!

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Good Watch

One of the strongest points of this show is the plot itself. The pacing to me was great, the scenes would always feel important to the plot, and every case was related to the main story. The way it was all weaved together was amazing: the mystery reveals would take place at the perfect moment, the action scenes were very satisfying and the relationship development among the characters were well fleshed out. It is so refreshing to find a drama that let the plot naturally explore the relationships that would form among the characters rather than let the relationship (the romance, for example) drag the plot along. The action scenes were also all amazing - they really showed us how mighty these characters were, especially Li Xiang Yi/Li Lian Hua. The audience could truly feel that he was the best who was around! The choreography and execution really lived up to the hype that the scenes were trying to make us feel.

However, what truly kept me glued to my screen was the acting. I have some gripes about the acting of some of the supporting characters BUT the main trio was amazing throughout the entire drama. Special shoutout to Cheng Yi, who was nothing but only brilliant in portraying Li Lian Hua. He truly brought the character to life. He weaved in certain mannerisms and behaviours that may have been subtle and even unnoticed but they filled in Li Lian Hua's personality tremendously, to the point where I could feel his emotions - his feelings of grief, regrets, affection and betrayal - very, very deeply. Joseph Zeng and Xiao Shun Yao also showed that they understood Fang Duo Bing and Di Fei Sheng greatly, and their performances allowed for the perfect chemistry among them three as they journeyed towards uncovering the mystery that had been haunting them for years now.

Overall, you should give this drama a chance! It was definitely worth watching.

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