White Cat Legend (2024)

This show easily became my No.1 Drama

First of all: I am deeply in love with this show
it's funny, cute, mysterious, interessting and heartwarming.
I feel comfort warching this. It cheers me up.

Plot: The plot may seem easy at first but is very interessting and surprising as time goes on. The characters spend a lot of time discussing and theorizing so it is easy to follow and I felt like i was investigating right along side them, theorizing. The cases are interesting and memorable. I was never bored or skiped any scenes.
Cast: All of the actors portray their character amazingly. The chemestry between them all feels very close and they do act like a group of close friends or family. I am having a great time watching them interact and care for each other. The looks they give each other are hilarious.
Musik: The musik is not outstanding but they underline the scenes perfectly and set the tone. Be it funny, mysterious or emotional.
Rewatch Value: As previously stated, I love this drama. It is my comfort show and I will regulary rewatch it. A big part is the focus on the friendship here.

Overall: This drama is perfect.

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Friendships Formed through Intertwined Meow-Steries

I will be completely honest when I say I dropped this drama mid-episode 2 because of the really cheesy childish antics. But something told me to return to it and listening to my instincts and asking some people who kept watching, I did just that. And I'm very glad I did because this is one of those very few cdramas that actually got better with each episode especially after 5 or 6. So I'm very glad I trusted my instincts to finish watching. It was friendships formed through intertwined meow-stries. See what I did there? ;)

Pros: At first it seemed each of the cases were separate but as you continued to watch, you understood they were all connected to the original case and story from three years back and LB losing his father to some unknown organization of mask wearing assassins and being turned into a cat. The story revolves around him and his group of subordinates (SB, WQ, CB, and Alibaba) in the CJR with an extra kid (CS) who becomes LB's little brother of sorts plus QQZ who used to be LB's childhood best friend but due to a misunderstanding those 3 years ago that is only really resolved in the second to last episode they appear on opposite sides. In reality QQZ infiltrated the organization that's trying to gain immortality through murder and to overthrow the Empress. Favorite character is hard because the main gang is great plus QQZ who I wish appeared in more episodes so they could have properly fleshed out his and LB's friendship. CS knew of LB being a cat first (not counting QQZ of course though he didn't know or ask for that to be done) and it didn't bother him and then towards the end when the others found out about it, they still stood by him calling him a "Cat Hero", which was so awesome.

The old fart society, though they were the main villains, you also had YZH who though started out just as helpless as anyone was fed to some demon cat but got the upper hand and became a demon cat himself, morphed into a sociopathic loony that killed people, turned LB into a cat, caused the domino effect that got LB's father murdered, and ultimately killed QQZ just for a stupid game in his own mind. Same went for CS's brother CJ aka Black Rakhasa who was the actual murderer of LB's father as he was hired by the old fart society because though he cared for his brother, after being bullied in Shendu, instead of helping others, he chose to be a predator. LZS got karma not once but twice; got killed once, brought back by the old fart society, used until he no longer was needed and killed by them for his blood. Whoopsie; now thats seriously cold karma.

This show had many layers that you had to peel back like an onion to understand. People did come back to life but none were immortal save for YZH and LB; though LB gave the only antidote to YZH as a deal for his testimony at the old fart society's trial. QQZ wanted the antidote for LB and he essentially died for it. I did tear up because the way LB keened over QQZ as they finally made amends officially--though LB had long suspected that QQZ didn't really turn bad--just before he passed was only seen when he lost his father. When finding out just how much evidence QQZ had found out on his own even before LB's father was killed and his father knew QQZ had successfully infiltrated but didn't tell LB. Maybe if he did, then their misunderstanding wouldn't have happened upon his murder; LB was very smart even back then and he would have left him alone.

But in the end it was CS who saved LB and the gang; the kid that started out illiterate and very naive, brought the city folk together to save his best friends through the haunting final words of the now gone QQZ copied hundreds of times and distributed to the people of the city.

Wow, I feel like I've fallen back into the story. Let's move on. The costumes (save maybe the Walmart wigs and beards of the foreigners from Alibaba's country), OSTs, scenery, fight scenes were really great, plus appropriate comedy was all very nice and fit everything.

Cons: I wish we got to see the Empress's face as that was a huge mystery the entire show. As well as who Du Zixu was; he was an important figure in the story as a lot of it started with him but we never saw who his character was. I wish that they ended SGQ's story better as she was moved properly out of the story but don't just poof her. Also wish that the story didn't begin as shakily as it did then maybe I wouldn't have dropped it in the first place.

Though I know it was also in the source material, I really don't feel like QQZ should have died especially after his line of "I have also outlived my usefulness." That's not true. He was very important to LB, the veterans he worked so hard to exonerate, and now the gang of CJR too. I don't feel sorry for YZH at all; even though LB did towards the end. In a way he chose his own path in life. He knew the antidote was on that dagger, he could have taken it at any point but like BR, it was a lot easier to be a predator pretending he was a god than choose to be good.

Would I recommend it? I absolutely would. Just get passed the first several episodes that are a bit cheesy and all over the place. But the rest is very good and worth watching; it's got a little bit of everything comedy, mystery, action, case solving, clues, but most importantly friendship.

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DON'T MESS WITH THE BOYS

Another Puss in Boots trop and to get that better, a first of its kind. After Mysterious Lotus Casebook, it was pretty hard to get another show with handsome main leads and I must say I greatly anticipated this and wasn't disappointed when it started airing.

First thing's first, legendary bromance, I love this, it would be a bit bland though but you notice there's literally one woman and a support role in an ensemble of seven men. No worries, it's not like there's any love in this since the show is pretty much centered around investigations.

Those costumes came off cheap too, I can't believe they would be so plain and simple but I wont mind, I have literally seen worse especially in terms of CGI if i must mention L.O.R.D CRITICAL WORLD which made my eyes feel like they were anoit to burn out.

Oh my God, did I forget to say at least 60% of all the guys in this series are good-looking and the other 40% are so so, nothing looks better on screen than a team of uncanny handsome youth, you'd even love the red haired maniac.

Shape shifters, thats quite legendary, the white cat looks cute as a white cat just like he is handsome in real life except that through the rainbow lenses he seems terrible at making a pass at another sweetly dense guy, I was saying things for starters.

I guess the story is original, far too different from A LEAGUE OF NOBLEMAN and in my PERSONAL OPINION even much better since we have got some really on point fighting scenes and they are sufficient enough seeing that there isn't too much talking which makes the whole series easy to understand.

Besides, I never imagined that a show like this one would make me cry. Honestly speaking, broken brotherhoods, sworn friendships, nothing tastes better. The show wasn't really as sad as I had hoped but what's more is that MR. PUSS will definitely be my ideal type of pet and I don't seem to see any reason as to why I wouldn't recommend someone to watch this epic fairytale drama of Stupid little big men.

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One of my Favorite Shows in 2024

There are very few shows that have an immense impact on you from the start and the impression remains the same until the very end. “White Cat Legend” is one such drama, with an entirely male centric casting that boasts of a formidable ensemble, the show was an intriguing mix of fantasy, adventure and mystery. Starring Ding Yu Xi, Zhou Qi in the lead roles, the storyline was crisp and detailed. Wei Zhe Ming’s arc as the fake antagonist was another detail that was elevated the entire experience of watching this investigative saga. The eccentric supporting cast is interesting and each had their own detailed storyline; none of them were left out as they contributed to the overall plotline. The stakes were high since the storyline revolved around the concept of “Demon Cat Case” alongside an immortal being who was hellbent on death and destruction. Let’s get to know the characters better, as we talk about their camaraderie!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/03/13/white-cat-legend-series-review/

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Came for the bromance, stayed for the plot

So to start off, I really did come because of the bromance, but there was basically none haha. But I love the plot so much, especially as a mystery/detective show fan, the cases were fun to watch and quite engaging. What I love most about this series is the relationship between our MingJing Hall peeps, they're just the cutest bunch ever, actual friendship goals there. And they all have an episode / scenes dedicated to their own story and background, which I thought was a nice touch.

DYX as a catman is SO CUTE, much cuter than I would ever expect a cgi human-shaped cat to be. And YZH to me was quite an interesting character to figure out, since he'd always kept his story and motivation a secret until the very end.

The plot twist was huge, although I did kinda expect and see through it from the very start. I did doubt myself in quite a few scenes though.

I like that the characters are all complex, complicated, mysterious, none of them are just black and white, even for YZH. It really shows n reflects humanity, how it's never easy to understand, but always easy to speculate and misjudge.

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Best Historical Chinese Drama I Have Ever Seen and Became My No. 1 Drama

This drama really suits my type. I like dramas that has mystery and friendship on it and no romance. After watching this drama, it became my number 1 most favorite and most deserve to rewatch. This story really made me cry a lot and made me laugh a lot. I really love Li Bing and the gang friendship. Not only that the gang help Li Bing solve the cases and share burdens, they are also loyal to Li Bing even though they had figured out that Li Bing is a cat demon, but instead became Li Bing's fanboy ?. Even if the world hated and abandoned on Li Bing, the gang would always stayed by his side. The sentence "just do good deeds and don't worry about the future" in chinese "但行好事，莫问前程" really touches me, I will never forget that sentence from Li Bing. I don't care about MDL ratings. As long as I love it, then for me it's worth to watch it.

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A fun comedy, but that's about it for me

The characters are fun to watch, and the cases are generally interesting. It's light enough to be a good palate cleanser after more emotionally heavy dramas and it's plotted out very episodically too, so it's good for if you don't have time or energy for binge watching.

The supernatural element felt weird to me though, especially since they started out by saying there were no such thing as yao. I think the story would have been a lot stronger and more engaging if the supernatural elements had really all been trickery and powerful people believing in impossible things out of greed.

Also, while the supernatural abilities one of the characters exhibits are useful and even cool sometimes, I just could NOT take the weird cgi anthro-transformation seriously. Every time it happened it completely zeroed out all my investment and tension, which is not great considering they insisted on using it in really tense high-stakes scenes. Seriously you'll be watching along, having a great time, and then suddenly Ryan Ding's cool martial art scene will be replaced by a poorly cgi-ed furry flailing around and meowing incessantly.

Overall for me it was something light and funny to have on in the background, but I couldn't really get at all invested in it.

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A Good Casual Watch

After several starts and drops of various historical dramas, this one was finally able to keep my attention long enough to become invested. The first couple of episodes may be slightly off-putting but it does evolve well and the layer of corniness is part of its charm.

Positives:
- There's a good blend of serious moments and light-heartedness/comedy.
- Most of the actors did a good job with their roles.
- The mystery aspect was decent as well as the action scenes but nothing to write home about.
- Almost no romance.
- A good series if you need a break from heavy politics and melodrama.

Negatives:
- The biggest negative for me was the ML (Ding Yu Xi). His acting became increasingly not believable and he only seemed to utilize 3-4 different facial expressions throughout the series. Unfortunate because this really brought the series down a few notches. (And this is already overlooking the extreme corniness to his cat-human form).
- The story takes a somewhat convoluted turn somewhere in the middle, and the flow became messier. It's as if they spend the first half working on the build-up and then just decided to throw everything that was necessary for the plot all in at once, just to be able to complete it.
- While I may able to overlook things like poor villagers suddenly being able to build a hot air balloon in almost no time at all, it was difficult to overlook the reactions to character deaths. There is almost a zero grieving period or any needed emphasis on the deaths of even relevant support characters. Providing flashbacks that doesn't trigger any emotes doesn't cut it, and the almost instantaneous leap to laughing and having a good time shortly thereafter was just not okay.

However, it is a good series that one doesn't need to take seriously and is good for a casual watch. Despite some significant negatives, it still did provide some actual laugh out loud moments.

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Came for the comedy, stayed for the mystery, enjoyed the friendship.

The tl;dr:
* Good pacing overall, nice balance between mystery and comedy
* Fine acting, distinct personalities and interesting background stories for the main cast
* No Romance!
* Strong female character, who unfortunately gets pushed out of the plot later
* Important message; good portrayal of diversity (considering it's Chinese)
* Ear-catching OST

The first episodes start with a strong comedic vibe, which is sometimes even stapsticky, after which the drama progressively gets deeper into the mystery of what happened three years ago.
I liked how this change happens gradually, the audience gets lured in with seemingly simple detective cases, and glimpses into the background stories. Only slowly the bigger picture begins to emerge, and it's not until the very end that we know all of the important elements. And on the way to the story's climax, the comedic elements are not lost -- the whole show feels well-rounded in its pacing and in the balancing of the different elements.
There are no episodes that feel dragged out, nor does the story ever feel rushed.

All of the main characters are incredibly well portrayed. Usually with costume dramas, especially those set at court, with all these similar uniforms and hats, it takes at least three episodes until I know who is supposed to be who. Not in this drama! Not only have the members of the Judicial Court all distinct personalities (more on that later), but each character has his (or her) very own body language. Even when they do nothing but sit or stand around, it's possible to recognize each and every one of them, even from behind.

No Romance! Always a plus, if the writer doesn't force a het romance into an otherwise engaging story, just to prove that there is no homo-romantic attraction between the main characters.

I loved Vice Minister Shangguan from the first minute -- finally, here is a female character who is not a simpering, love-sick and annoying girl but rather a strong woman who fought for her right to have her own life. In a sexist society (other characters even comment on this), she opposed her parents' will and got into a position of power as an official. Her office which is overflowing with scrolls and paperwork shows how hard-working she is. She must have had a hard time navigating Palace politics, as a woman and sole vice minister -- always on the outlook for people who want to sabotage her and her work; and we get to see glimpses of how she did it in the first episodes.
I also loved how her appearance underlines her character -- she's wearing sensible clothes, her make-up is modestly done.
All of which make the one thing that's really bad about the drama even worse: When things get serious, she's getting shipped off, for her safety, or, as Li Bing would put it, "for her own good". Why? She's certainly not weaker that, say, Cui Bei. She's not less experienced in intrigue than Wang Qi or less clever than any of them. So, why? Only so that when it gets serious, she can't "steal" the spotlight from the men. Plotwise, it would have been very much possible for her to be an important part of the team.
This is the one reason I deducted half a point from the rating for the category "story".

One big point in the drama's favour is that it shows us how important it is to see others as a human being -- what it does to a person if they are dehumanized (whether revered as god or reviled as monster) and how it makes us more human if we are kind to one another. Connected to this is that the acceptance of diversity can only strengthen us. (Which makes it even more regrettable that Vice Minister Shangguan is not part of the team!)
The team of Ming Jing Hall are very different people, not only is the boss half-human, half-cat, there's also the superstitious ex-soldier, the "diplomat" with a fondness for cross-dressing, the bookish man who always brings bad luck, the bumbling country boy and even a foreigner!
(That's one aspect that I found astonishing, there was actually very little nationalism in this drama; usually Chinese dramas are all about how great and heroic the Chinese people are -- here they are the aggressors towards another country, while the presumed antagonist just wants ... well, that would be a spoiler.)
Only by working together, by not just accepting each other but also recognizing each other's strengths and quirks, can the team solve the mystery and get justice for those who have been wronged.

Overall, this is an engaging and well-acted drama that made me laugh, and made me cry, and had me on the edge of my seat until the last minute of the closing credits.

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Best 2024 Drama So Far!!

You want a typical ROMANCE with misunderstandings between the leads? Than this is not for you!! This is a story of the friendship between the young men and their strong team; finding justice for everyone.

The storyline was pretty solid and interesting, although the main case was solved slowly throughout the episodes, it doesn't make the drama any less exciting. Most importantly; I love the "cat" plot along with their team's bonds the most! They are so funny and heartwarming to watch; although WQ, SGQ, QQZ were a lil bit annoying to me at the very first episodes, their character development is fantastic, and they become a lot better :D

The acting was amazing, every character did a great job portraying the emotions and situations (Especially Ding Yuxi). They acted so well that I even forget the other plots when watching the flashbacks d: And Roy Wang (as Yi Zhi Hua)'s acting is amazing that I freak out every time I see him on the screen yet, I understand his feelings and his past. I wanted to hug the positive characters and slap the negative characters, so i guess that's enough to explain their acting skills.

While watching the drama, I laughed, loved, hated, cringed, and cried with the leads a lot; therefore I could easily connect to the characters and the plot :3

For conclusion, I'm officially a fan of cool boss cat DYX and cutie patootie ZQ after finishing the drama. Also, I absolutely adore that they sing the ending song together!! And, If you could handle BROMANCE (No no, not BL) and love detective works than this is the perfect choice for you so better give it a try without worrying about those stoopid ratings given by antis. Have a nice watch! :)

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