This review may contain spoilers
emotionally moving drama
This drama is great, if you pretend the last 4 episodes do not exist. The last 4 episodes didn't make much sense tbh. The story starts out with our great demon Zhan yuanzhou who goes to the demon catching agency to help them out.wen Xiao doesn't have a problem with this but our beloved Zhou yichen doesn't like it bec the demon killer his family. however Yuanzhou gets his way by offering that he'll teach yichen how to use the cloud sword to the fullest and be able to kill him when he does. yichen agrees and went Xiao makes a seperate contract with him to make sure he doesn't do anything out of line.
This show is pure comedy, the snark comments and funny moments makes you laugh. it's very enjoyable. the leads form up a team with Bai Jiu and pei Ying and later on our little mountain wanna be chef god ying lei. Bai Jiu is a kid who's an excellent doctor.
They all love teasing each other and having fun together. they eventually become like a family. they take on many cases of demons who kill or harm people only to eventually face off against the true villain of the show.
on this journey they discover hidden plots and a hidden agenda by none other then Bai jius own master. He manipulated Bai Jiu into betraying his friends all to save his mother. he eventually learns the truth about his mother and his friends give him another chance.
the man was after Yuanzhou's inner core because it contained the ever burning wood. Many people have died for this. Yuanzhou is a vessel for all the resentment energy which can sometimes make him lose control especially on a red blood moon. once yichen learns this is why he killed his family, his own feelings start to torment him a little. he wants to hate him but he really can't, they have become a bit like soulmates. truly best of friends.
in the end Bai Jiu gets taken over by Li Lun an old friend of yuanzhou he turned evil. To be able to save him they had to repair the cloud sword that had gotten broken along the way and get rid of Li luns inner core. this causes the death of ying Lei. Bai Jiu was saved but once he learner Ying lei died he was very sad.
Li Lun didn't die as per Yuanzhou's request and they had him return to his original form a bagoda root so he could start anew and recultivate his human form. then the time finally came for them to face off against the true villain of the show. we all thought he was dead but surprise surprise he wasn't.
this is where it starts to really not make any sense at all. yuanzhou was already weak from getting rid of the ever burning wood and using his own demonic energy to help restore the cloud sword. still he and yichen faced off against the man who now possessed the innor core of the phoenix.
along with the ashes of the ever burning wood he could be reborn as many times as possible. pei Ying faced off against one of his lackeys, they used to be colleagues as she used to work this agency in the past.
wen Xiao was deadly poisoned and couldn't really use her baize goddess powers without getting more poisoned and closer to death. she finally managed to retrieve her full power and then that happens?!
yichen and yuanzhou struggle against him and guess who comes to lend them a hand? none other then Li Lun! he forcibly took on a human form to help his old bestie yuanzhou. during the fighting he decides to sacrifice himself for yuanzhou and his new bestie. he gives them each half of his power. he couldn't stand yuanzhou being a weak mf cuz he was literally one of the strongest demons out there.
then he tried to buy some time by having his natural form appear to lure the fire of the ever burning wood which is his archnemesis. yuanzhou and yichen work together to finally sly him only for him to be alive again.
on the other side in a different place another fierce battle was going on. it eventually ended with pei Ying being the winner and Bai Jiu going off to find the ashes to destroy them. they were protected by a barrier, Bai Jiu did not give a shit and forced his way through this very painful barrier for his Zhou gege who he admired so much. it ends with him destroying the ashes and ending up dead.
yuanzhou gets all the demonic power from yichen as he was caught by the villain and the same type of barrier was set up there. yichen was always protected from his one word spells (except for the time he had a portion of Li luns power) so he used this to break the barrier and kill the villain. however it doesn't end there!!!
the evil guy had given everyone an inner demon core and the only way to get rid of this was to active the baize goddess full power. yuanzhou had already taken away all the poison from the baize token secretly and now he decided to let himself get killed so all the resentment energy gets released triggering the full power of the baize token to save everyone. THE FUCKING END.
we get little consolation with a special episode where yichen is searching for the last remnant of Yuanzhou's soul because he had seperated a piece so he could be reborn.
top tier acting, loved the chemistry between the actors and the characters. romance was really only a minor thing it as was a bit comedic at some points too, but their love for each other was pure and cute. yuanzhou and wen Xiao were very cute together. so besides the crappy open ending. it's definitely worth the watch and very enjoyable overall
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A Feast for the Eyes: Visually Gorgeous Drama That Leaves a Lasting Impression
After several days of pondering, I finally decided to give my final rating and write a review of this drama. I have to admit that I was torn between giving it an 8.5 or a 9. At first, I gave it an 8.5, but after a day or two, when I realized that the series had left a deep impact on me and I couldn't stop listening to the OST and thinking about the characters, I bumped it up to a 9. There are many aspects of this series that I liked: the cast and interesting characters, the OST, special effects, well-choreographed fight scenes, and overall high production value and beautiful aesthetics. On the other hand, the main criticism is about the plot itself. I'm not even sure what was missing, but the fact remains that the story didn’t manage to intrigue me to a great extent. Here and there, there were certain interesting elements of the plot, twists and turns, but the main storyline didn’t offer anything revolutionary. What the plot lacked, the interesting characters, their relationships, and interactions made up for. The bond between Zhu Yan and Zhou Yichen, Bai Jiu and Yichen, Bai Jiu and Ying Lei, Zhu Yan and Li Lun, the Pei siblings, and their group friendship altogether, is what truly elevates this drama (along with its visual perfection).Speaking about the characters and their relationships (which I liked), one would expect that their tragic fates would emotionally hit me. However, that didn’t happen. This is the main reason why I can't rate this drama higher than 9. On the surface, it seemed like it had all the elements for success, but in the end, during the actual viewing of the series, I didn't feel any emotional impact. I believe that part of the reason for this is the way many parts were slow (filmed in slow motion?) which caused me to become frustrated with the drawn-out scenes instead of immersing myself in the events and the tragedy. However, I think this was a personal issue of mine, as I see that most people didn’t have this problem. Only later, while listening to the OST, did I begin to reflect more on the characters and their tragic lives, and only then did I fall even more in love with the story.
When it comes to the OST, I have to say that, alongside the visual elements, it is one of the best aspects of this series. I would personally compare it to the OST of The Untamed, which I was obsessed with for months and listened to wherever I could. The fact that many of the songs are sung by the actors themselves further impressed me. In the end, I must also praise the actors. Chen Du Ling, Lester Lin, and Tian Jia Rui were familiar to me from before, and I considered them good actors even before this drama, but I’m glad I discovered Neo Hou, who beautifully portrayed the character of Zhu Yan. I personally LOVE characters like him—formidable and powerful, yet at the same time pitiful and tormented. All the supporting actors did a great job in their roles as well, and I’m happy to see that there were no "weak links" in the cast that could have ruined the overall impression with their bad acting , which occasionally happens in some of these dramas :')
In the end, would I recommend this drama? BIG YES. Despite some 'personal issues' I had with it, I still think it's one of those dramas that you shouldn't miss, because the hype is definitely justified.
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Best Drama with all the beautiful Male Actors... But!!!! The FL is super useless --"
This is a very interesting drama about Human and Demon world. How the ML (A demon) and other characters (Demons and human) interact. The actors are ALL APPLES TO EYES trust me. ML SML are both so good. HOWEVER, 1 disappointing character is the FL. FL is utterly useless... I am sorry to say this bluntly but (spoiler coming) all she does throughout the drama is just: BEING WEAK and laying on the floor most of the time.While her main job is SHE WAS BORN AS the GODDESS PROTECTOR of TWO REALMS. And as FL she should be Strong! At least she should know how to protect herself. Because she is the protector of two realms, but all she does through out the drama are basically:
1. given the power by her teacher (Previous Goddess who got killed), she didnt even realize that the 50% power has been inside her body all this time (8 years), and have been thinking the Goddess power is lost and caused the Demon realms starting to trembling and demons can have free access to human realms and caused lots of trouble.
2. Found the Goddess Power thanks to ML, and finally can use the 50% power (together with ML, cause another 50% lays in ML body), to restore the protection of Demon realms.
3. While both ML are fighting, all she does is laying on the floor. Cause she got the plague, while other characters still remain strong and fighting. All she does through that episode of ML fighting is laying on the floor. nothing else.
4. BUT!!!!! In the middle of restoring the protection, she got the flute (50% of Goddess power is in the form of Flute, and another 50% is in the form of bracelet) destroyed. The bracelet is fine, untouched. But the flute that is held by her, the FL, is just broken into two. LIKE WTF!!! She cant even protect the flute!!!
5. Since her flute is destroyed, she needs to make amend or fix the flute, after she fixes the flute, she and other characters SFL and team rush to awakening the good ML. On the way, they were blocked by the Bad Guys, while other characters (Pei and the Mountain DemonGod) fought their life to protect her and the flute she's holding, the bad guys so easily grabbed the flute from her hand, MARK MY NOTE: WITHOUT she even try to fight back. And the bad guy had the chance to input poison into the flute. Thus she's late going for awakening the good ML, so the bad ML had the chance to half destroyed the SML sword,
6. The flute is poisoned, thus she got the poisoned (stupidly). And finally, the ML had to sacrifice himself to save her (sucking all the poison from her body) and the rest of the people. ML died!!!
7. Even during the last fight, all characters are fighting till their last breath, even Pei who is pure HUMAN is fighting a semi zombie and won! She is just there to be easily strangled then laying on the floor being helpless.
Seriously, she is so useless, she should just die... In the near ending, there's an episode, where the Old Tree Goddess explains that She should not be saved (From poison). Because it's the Protector Goddess job to protect the realms, and when she dies, a new Goddess will be born and appointed next... I AM DYING HOPING that she would just die, and new born Goddess will be more useful. Since the FIRST ever GODDESS is powerful, even her teacher was also useful and powerful.
I mean, as FL and as GODDESS, please be more useful. ML and SML keeps on sacrificing and protecting her throughout the drama. WTF!!!!!! Even SFL (Pei) is more uselful and strong, and Pei is HUMAN!!!! Gosh.
But no... the script writer and the director decides that this useless Female Lead Character is better than the Male Character and keeps her alive, while killing the ML. This is the only part of the drama that utterly ruins it for me. I am so annoyed by her uselessness.
All she does throughout the drama is just laying on the floor... crying... being sick... only that.
sigh
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FONGS OF FORTUNE
Really an amazing cdrama.Demons and Humans are not afraid of death but they are afraid of losing Loved ones.Each actors acting is really so good ♥️.Love ,romance and innocence between Demon and Goddess is really lovely------>♥️.Director is a well script writer, but Love between Demon and Goddess is okay but Romance between them is less.He should have brought much more romance between them.Whatever happens we don't care but at the end Demon and Goddess should be together . Because so many dramas upset the viewers and fans at the end and they will give worst reviews and ratings.So please make us happy and we will never disappoint you until you disappoint us.Please I have given 10/10 Ratings and reviews.( ˘ ³˘)♥
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Best Cdrama 2024
For me the absolute best drama this year.Really a masterpiece. Excellent executed on every aspect.
From cast, acting, plot, storylines, character development, music, songs, costumes, pacing, editing, cinematography, effects, fight scenes, to dialogues.
There isn’t one little thing I could criticize….mhmm maybe the cast was too good looking ?????I mean those slow pacing close-ups….❤️?
The main cast was brilliant. I laughed and cried so many times.
I also liked how you have adventure, fantasy, lovestory, friendship and also bromance. The drama is really heavy in this one, but they always gave us those funny little moments.
My heart ached at the end….but hey nothing really ends, right ??
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Bromance with Added Sismance, Truly Perfect!
Guo Jing Ming’s projects are always fraught with homoerotic tones; starting from Painted Skin: The Guo Jingming Edition, Wuliang, L.O.R.D 1, L.O.R.D 2, The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity and the recently concluded Fangs of Fortune, all stand testament to his amazing prowess to pass Chinese censorship.Some stories leave you exasperated whilst others leave you with a ray of hope and earnest longing; that someday, you might be able to meet these characters again. “Fangs of Fortune” was one such drama for me. It taught me valuable life lessons- you can redeem yourself once you accept you were in wrong; love should set you free, not imprison you. Also, you can love someone despite hating them in the past. Adapted from the classic text and the mythology and geography collection “Classic of Mountains and Seas” (山海经), the show has the most endearing characters that slowly become a family. The best part is that they aren’t all human- we have a makeshift family made of a Great Demon, two powerful Demon Hunters, a Half God and a Mountain God. The only thing that connects them is their yearning for familial ties and bonds. They become each other’s solace and peace of mind; they evolve and mature together, drawing inspiration and courage from one another. Another important aspect of Guo Jing Ming’s shows is the magnanimity of the settings and the mesmerizing locales. The costumes are posh, keeping in line with the stature/position of the characters. We bring you the evergreen queer romance that is characteristic of most Guo Jing Ming’s stories.
Read the complete article here-
https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/11/20/fangs-of-fortune-series-review-ep-1-to-32/
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Too depressing for me
I am probably 1 out of 100 people, but Fangs of Fortune didn’t work for me. And I really wanted to like it - I had been looking forward to it for several months - but unfortunately I couldn’t.The main reason FoF didn’t work for me is that I could not handle its everyone-and-everything-is-doomed vibe - the story is packed with heartbraking events with very few comedic moments that interrupt all the pain and that give the viewer time to breath. If you are into emotional pain, heartbreak, angst and desperation, FoF will be a feast for you and my following complaints regarding storytelling (pacing and character development) will merely be a little nuisance. But for me this drama was simply too depressing to enjoy.
Storytelling-wise my biggest complaint is about the pacing of this story because something about it was off. There simply wasn’t a rhythm I could flow with - I perceived the whole drama as a mere succession of more or less connected events without narrative arcs to guide a viewer through it.
Apart from that, I also had issues with the character development or better the lack of it. At some point I felt that the lead characters had morphed into a collective of more or less interchangeable units that were all willing to sacrifice themselves for the whole entity. I assume the story provided the moments where those characters reached the emotional turning points where they formed a deep bond of love but for me these moments where either so fleeting that they never stuck with me or they drowned in an ocean of heartbreak. Therefore, the bonding of the lead characters was something that I just had to accept eventually without emotionally understanding it from a storytelling perspective.
So, why did I torture myself and hate-watched all 34 and 1/2 episodes instead of dropping FoF eventually? The answer is Hou Ming Hao. He‘s magnetic. I have no better explanation. He pulled my gaze to the screen and locked it there, so I had to watch every single episode of FoF, no matter if I wanted to or not.
And there is one thing that I loved about FoF - the closing credits. This madness of letting the actors, fully in costume but NOT in character, break the fourth wall while performing a happy group dance appeals to my taste.
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─ the small city traps the small us. // i will never forget the way back to home.
Fangs of Fortune was one of the dramas I was most excited about this year, especially given the director's reputation for stunning cinematography, costumes, and a dark, atmospheric color palette. With a familiar cast, including several actors I’ve enjoyed watching in previous works by the director, I was optimistic — but also cautious. The director has a tendency to stretch out the story in certain parts and leave major twists for the end, sometimes making the final act feel rushed. While the writing and story delivery weren’t bad, the pacing and flow needed some adjustments. This was, for me, the main flaw that impacted the drama.Some characters and key moments lacked the development needed to fully invest in their emotional growth. While there were several unexpected twists that kept us on our toes, the repetitiveness of certain plot devices ( such as revealing that characters already knew crucial information ) eventually undermined the suspense. At times, it became easy to predict that something was amiss, which reduced the tension.
Another aspect that I struggled with were the emotional scenes. While I have no issue with characters expressing emotion through tears, the excessive focus on making the crying scenes visually "beautiful" sometimes detracted from the raw emotion of the moment, preventing the audience from fully connecting.
That said, the ending was tragically beautiful. Though it was somewhat predictable, the execution still managed to leave a lasting impact.
Despite its flaws, the show had plenty of strengths. One of the highlights was how the main characters were given enough screen time to develop, allowing us to appreciate each of their roles in the story. The evolving family dynamics were particularly compelling, as it wasn’t just about characters trusting each other after one shared experience. Given their complex backgrounds, trust was built gradually, which added depth to their relationships. I also enjoyed the connection of side characters that built the story.
The show also managed to balance intense drama with moments of comedy, which provided some welcome relief. I appreciated how the story used symbolism, mythology, and even indirect biblical references to convey deeper meanings. The characters’ growth — both mental and physical — was portrayed beautifully, and it was refreshing to see a story that focused on the many forms of love, from friendship to family, rather than just romantic love.
Some of the lines were incredibly well-written and delivered, which I really appreciated. The acting, especially the chemistry between the characters, was another standout element.
The OST was one of the best of the year, with songs that perfectly reflected the story’s themes. It’s hard to choose a favorite, as each track was so thoughtfully integrated.
Overall, Fangs of Fortune was an enjoyable watch with a tale-like quality. Despite its flaws, it left an impression, and I can see myself returning to rewatch some of the scenes.
Link to edits : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxplWeBw3y5hL26ocu_hNx4eucxlss3Q9&si=dFBHTOLZZLIaZCwp
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CDrama of the YEAR and the Best Fantasy CDrama for me!
CDrama of the year!I’m not saying this just because I’m too emotional right now, but I’ve watched almost 9-12 Cdramas aired this year, and not one—NOT ONE—made me feel this way. I was so invested in this drama.
The Cast slayed! I felt every single emotion they portrayed!
The Plot and the Directors slayed!
Cinematography!
Even the costumes!
The little details throughout the series!
I loved how the cast had so much fun on set!
Of course, the OSTs! It’s my first time listening to a whole album of a CDrama on repeat!
The fantasy element felt alive. It reminded me of Alchemy of Souls.
I have to admit that there were some sound mixing problems, but aside from that, everything was PERFECT!
So, this is the Cdrama of the year and the best fantasy Cdrama for me!
The special episode saved me! For me, this is not an open ending, it’s perfect In it’s own way.
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Amazingly beautiful and very well directed
I waited a long long time for this drama to be out. OMG WOW! It was definitely worth the wait!Everyone has played their roles very well and the little details in the acting and story was very well designed. All the intricate details were amazing. This drama is definitely different from the spoiled princess dramas out there and all the palace power struggles....all same story line. This drama is definitely different and it's a good different.
Neo Huo has played his role extremely well and the chemistry between all of them are in synchrony which makes puts the drama in a different class of its own.
Very well played ?
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Worth a watch
*Cinematography*:Spectacular rich, sombre set design. This is the thing I loved most about GJM's works, whatever other criticisms I have for his directing. If you're kind of not into the light airy colours lots of period dramas use and loved the dark tones of My Journey to You's aesthetic, then this is for you. Colours aside, GJM seems to really know what kind of shots and scenes he's going for. Nothing is tonally out of place. Everything could be a wallpaper. I'm not kidding when I say this drama is worth a watch based on cinematography alone.
*Music*: absolutely amazing, almost every song is playlist-worthy. Liu yuning's been deployed once again and producing masterpieces as usual.
*Story*:
Well right off the bat the casting is amazing. You won't EVER catch an actor slipping in their acting, not even when they're the background of a shot. If they act off, it's because their character is up to something. That's how good they are.
As for the actual writing, it's too early to judge them on character arcs yet. What I'll say is that these characters are written as organic human beings with understandable motivations. So no awkward dialogue, caricatures, etc. On the other hand, the 'elite team' that the main cast is supposed to be feature some people who just. can't. fight. So you need to stretch your imagination a bit there. The good of this is that the show generally lets every character be useful, even if you're sometimes left to wonder if they should be running around fighting demons at all.
Thematically, the show does a great job giving it's antagonists understandable philosophical perspectives that conflict with the heroes'. However, it does 'cop-out' too many times by giving them convenient resolutions instead of letting the clash of ideas run its course. So while the heroes have been challenges ideologically pretty much every arc, they've not changed much. Another thing is, while the show is very good at show not telling for establishing personalities, lore, backstories, you name it, it kind of drops the ball on thematic content and prefers to deliver them through long, rambling monologues copiously inserted between climactic fight scenes.
Some very minor points: this show delivers it's lore in bits and pieces (no intro infodump here). This can be fun or confusing depending on how you see it. Next, I really like how demon characters get demon names. Like not titles but mythological names. It isn't something I see often and suits them way more than 'The ___ king of demons'.
Also, even though the plot is technically 'investigations' of demon crimes, it's not really a crime solving show so don't go into it with that expectation. It has the crime show aesthetic of morbid atmosphere and corpses and running into creepy places, but it delivers them to the bad guy's lair without much piecing together clues because that's not what this show is about. Most twists (and there are plenty) are delivered via dialogue, not figured out by the main 'detectives'.
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One Of The Best If 2024
I am all in with this drama. I see some people are disappointed because it has humor and wanted it to be dark the entire show. You HAVE to have the relief from the darkness to enjoy it when you are traveling through it. Genius director and script writer(s). Episode 9 had me so enthralled that I got irritated at my dog for wanting to go outside to relieve herself. Thankfully I can push pause and miss nothing. The title is misleading because I thought this was about vampires and almost didn't watch it. I can't rave about this drama too much. The guest actors are so great to watch. The leads and 2nd leads including the young boy, make this drama worth your time. I have laughed, I have cried and I want more episodes than just 2 per day. Don't miss this one.Was this review helpful to you?
