Good for casual watching.

It's quite good, but could be better...

I haven't watched the original drama (though I will sometime in the future), so I can't compare the two. This adaption is not bad, but it's definitely lacking in certain things.

To start with, the FL is not mature enough. I'm not necessarily talking about the actress' age but about the character she's portraying. She's supposed to be a journalist and one with great potential at that. But in the drama she seems to be making some very basic mistakes, that even high school students don't do when they're writing an essay... When she's working on a case, she almost ALWAYS forms a preconceived notion and expresses her own opinion while doing her job. Whereas she should remain as neutral as possible so as to find the truth and not be hindered by personal opinions and prejudices (because her opinions might differ from the actual truth). Also she unnecessarily tortured the ML towards the ending. Her feelings were completely valid (after all, she found out that she was going to die in the near future) but she didn't have to break up with the ML every like 2 episodes. Lad was already devastated and was desperately trying to save her she didn't have to torture him on top of everything.

The 2nd FL and her brother (especially her brother) are simply UNBEARABLE! Like woman, you learn that your brother has been gaslighting you and has been ACTIVELY going out of his way trying to ruin your marriage -borderline life cuz she originaly ended up dead- and you still want to have anything to do with him? I'm sorry but (respectfully) you are a pushover. And I'm sorry to say this, but the 2nd ML should've divorced her and RUN.

The main leading actor did quite a good job portraying 2 different version of the ML, they are very distinguishable from each other. Despite that, I don't get the point of him going to the antagonistic lawyer to talk it out or something. He was already pretty bad and it was pretty obvious he wouldn't change for the better. Though to be 100% honest towards the latter episodes I skipped A LOT as I found it quite draggy, so I might be wrong.

All in all, I believe this drama could have benefited greatly from having a more mature FL, 2nd FL, and vibes in general. Would definitely recommend as a casual watch when there is nothing better to entertain you.

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Great to pass the time. Great acting, meh story.

Starting off I feel it's important to point out that I didn't watch this when it came out in 2019, but in 2024, which explains a lot of my sentiments below. Despite Zhao Lusi being my favorite actress, I watched this drama rather late.

Strong, intelligent and mature characters are my favorite, as well as playful and funny ones. To be completely honest the FL's character here was not my cup of tea. Though she did get a bit more mature towards the end, she still was very naive in her views about justice and in her actions.

I 100% get that the ML had done a ton of questionable things, but so had everyone else. In an environment where everyone was out to get everyone and especially the ML, it's pretty obvious that he could not afford to be soft hearted, otherwise he'd end up dead. I'm not excusing his actions, all I'm saying is that he wasn't worse than most "good people" in the story. Everyone had their own views about justice and what's right, in the drama. The FL very immaturely thought that
• 1stly, everybody shares the same beliefs as her and when she realizes that it's not true she
•2ndly believes that she can convince everyone to change.
She constantly blames the ML, which I get it, it's understandable to feel hurt and kind of betrayed by some of his actions, like him using her. But honestly, what did she expect? From the very beginning it was very clear that he was using her, to steal the 2ml's martial art style. He had literally told her, it wasn't a secret. Not to mention how she always pushed the ML to help her "friends" (they barely considered her their friend for most of the story) and the 2ndML, whilst CLEARLY knowing that they are quite literally MORTAL ENEMIES. She made the ML give the 2ndML the snow lotus to stabilize his inner qi so that he can continue to use his martial arts and basically antagonize the ML (bc that's what he does) and I'm like - ughhh- I'm seriously so frustrated. Did she seriously think that Xiao Bai would even for a moment, be thankful to QY and suddenly decide he no longer wishes to kill him, bc he's his savior? I think not. She is so naive it's annoying. And it's not like she didn't use the ML as well (e.g. when she tried to get the antidote for FC). She was upset about him using her (which is completely understandable), but she already knew she was being used in the beginning (for the martial arts book).

Also she was way too critical of the ML. That can be clearly seen by how she kept on forgiving Xiao Bai again and again and tried to make things work with him, even after he used her. The 2ndML did the exact same thing, he used her, when they were gonna marry each other and also when he tried to kill QY but ended up hurting him instead. Unfortunately she was way more tolerant and forgiving with him than with the ML. The worst thing the FL did, in my opinion, is try to help Xiao Bai and his friends, when she clearly knew they were the ML's enemies, which ended up hurting him and almost killing him.

Although I'm very frustrated with the way the FL's character was written, I loved Zhao Lusi's acting, as always it was superb. I only wished they had used her own voice. I liked the ml's character, though he indeed was a bit too cruel. I honestly would've loved for him to reach his goal and become the leader of all the martial arts sects as he wanted. Li Hongyi did an amazing job in his portrayal (Worth to be mentioned, the white wig suited him so much, which is quite difficult to pull off). The main couple's chemistry was great. I really wish they star in another drama together, now after all those years, with a higher budget and a great plot. Be it historical fantasy or modern I'd watch it. I wasn't particularly fond of the 2ML's portrayal, to me he seemed a bit too stoic and his body movements seemed somewhat rigid and unnatural. Not gonna lie the special effects aren't good at all and the production doesn't seem that high quality, but the leads' acting saved it.

In conclusion I really like Zhao Lusi's and Li Hongyi's acting. I can't say that I loved it as a story or as a production, but it was great to pass the time, mainly bc of the main couple's bickering. The leads' chemistry was amazing and it would be the only reason to re-watch!

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Not bad, but not that good as well.

This drama had immense potential and unfortunately it didn't utilize all or even most of it.
The story is fundamentally great and so is the acting, especially from Kim Young Dae. But in my opinion the directing and screenwriting are where this drama is lacking, had these two things been better, this could have easily been an unforgettable experience for the viewers. Instead, now it's just an average one.
I honestly wish the review's ratings had a 《Directing》category so we could rate that as well. Had that existed, my ending score for this drama would have been different. I honestly don't want to give a lower score to any of the other categories, as they were quite good. But the directing is just not doing it here for me. I'm a bit disappointed... Maybe it's because I had way too high expectations for this (I legitimately couldn'twait to watch this. I was super excited since I learnedit was being produced). It's not bad, I simply expected way more, like something with more mysterious or dark vibes, something to blow my away like Goblin did, also something with better special effects...
I ended up skipping a lot of scenes because of my boredom or frustration.
If anyone asked me about my thoughts on this, then I'd have to say: All in all not bad, but not that good as well.

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Gotta be honest, I can't bring myself to 100% ship A Yin with the ML.I just feel that she is way too good for him.
He literally killed her by mistake in the beginning?. And ever since he's gotten her in so much trouble (e.g. he gave that damned peacock the umbrella artifact and ended up putting both his and A Yin's lives in danger- she ended up habing to heal him by sacrificing a part of her lifespan). Also by the looks of the trailers even up to episode 24 he is the same. He literally told her that he regretted to have met her in the trailer like- ?. I do not care under what circumstances he was. I wouldn't be able to find anyone desirable after all of that.
I would very much prefer Feng Yin to return like the QUEEN that she is and pay ZERO attention to him. She's better off ending up with Hong Yi or even on her own at this point.?.

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Lacking

Unfortunately there was no chemistry between the leads which is literally the single most important thing in a romcom (obviously there are others as well but this is extremely important).

Also the directing and screenwriting felt somehow off, even though the plot seemed interesting.

It saddens me, as I am a fan of both of them, but despite the main leads usually being magnificent actors, this time it felt like they failed to properly portray and embody their characters. I personally believe that what really matters in a series/film is for it to be enjoyable or memorable or generally to evoke something inside the audience (be it happiness, saddennes, or whatever the director, writer and cast is trying to portray). Whats the use of having a great and very popular cast, if firstly there is simply 0 chemistry between them and secondly the directing and screenwriting is awful.? With better directing and screenwriting it would have definitely been better. But to be completely honest and fair, the main leads' extreme lack of chemistry is a huge problem. Seriously, they should've done something about this. I am saying this as a fan of both Bai Lu and Dylan Wang. Since it's not working out there's no need to force it. There is literally a plethora of other actors who could've filled either of the spots, most of which might not be as popular, but possess equally good acting skills . I much rather watch a good series with actors whom I don't know, rather than a mediocre one with my favorites in it. It literally does more harm than good to the cast's, writer's and director's reputation.

All I have to say is that I am disappointed. It's not like the drama is uwatchable. It's just that the expectations were way too high and they were not met. I'm on ep 21 and the drama might get better, but it still does not change the fact that up until now, it has been kind of a let down. What saddens me even more is that I've read the book and even though I found it kind of tiring at times (as I'm quite particular with slice of life plots, I either like them very much or I find them very boring, depending on how they are played out) I enjoyed it and was excited when I learned that this was its adaption. I like the base plot but its development and pace here were draggy and tiring. The 2nd couple (the fl's bff with the ML's friend) had way more chemistry even though they had a messy love story.

It's also worth to be mentioned that Bai Lu is simply gorgeous (the entire cast was filled with visuals), but I personally believe the stylist- makeup artist didn't fully showcase her beauty. I get that the FL's style was supposed to be on the simpler side, but they could've at least used some more eyeshadow or eyeliner idk just something especially when she was supposed to be going on a date. Also half the time (if not all the time) she was wearing oversized blazzers. Which again is not bad, I actually find it quite stylish and pretty, but she could've had a change and wore something slightly different at times.

IDK hopefully this gets better ? I'll come back to update my review when I finish it.

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Timeless masterpiece

I seriously loved this.
I'm usually prone to scene skipping if I find a drama predictable or boring, but this drama OMG! I loved every bit of it! I was completely hooked.
I LOVED the "old" drama vibes I got from it so much. Adored how the director paid attention to the little details (like the makeup and the girl's painted nails). I really liked the filters that were used that made it look like a 2015 historical drama, seriously it was really suitable and I honestly really liked it.
The Fl's makeup should have a whole fandom on its own. It was simply magnificent. It looked soft, feminine and I really appreciate how it could easily be straight out of a reimagined period painting.
I personally really liked the plot and the ending. I consider it to be very fitting and the whole ordeal seems very poetic to me
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To me HRZ existed bc of the Fl's need to have someone whom she can completely trust, someone who will always do what she wants and who won't threaten her comfort zone, who'll never make her challenge herself and face her fears. So she created him in her head bc with him she can run away from everything she's really scared of, which is sincerely loving someone else , bc then she'll feel vulnerable as he'll be able to hurt her ( e.g. by betraying her or something). At the end she chose the real world and so she chose to bravely face evey challenge, which to me is the ultimate character development and I applaud it.
The cast's chemistry was amazing. Especially between the Fl and the ml. At numerous scenes I wanted to shout JUST KISS ALREADY. Just my personal opinion here but a kiss would make certain scenes shine even more. In many scenes you could literally see the poor ml fight for his life so as not to kiss her. Would love to see them in another drama together.
The chemistry between Fl and HRZ was really great as well. You could feel how comfortable she was around him. I kinda shipped them together but I prefer the FL-ML pairing more. I would love to see them in another drama together as well.

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"Your destiny hangs at the tip of your blade and the tip of your blade must always point forward."

Watched this in June 2022! And I have to say that it's one of the best dramas I've ever watched! I absolutely adored the entirety of the cast! From the main leads to the antagonists every actor was amazing!

About the female lead:
The female lead, Zhou Fei has grown to become one of my most favourite characters ever! Although in the beginning she seems a bit immature and she generally is quite stubborn I can't fathom how anyone would hate her. She's very kind-hearted, generous and just. She doesn't give up and is very hardworking. Although she becomes very skillful and super powerful, she still remains humble and kind! Honestly, I adored how knowledgeable she was in martial arts and how powerful and dedicated she was! Zhao Li Ying did a magnificent job in her performance!

About the male lead:
I really liked his playful attitude, his loyalty and his love to the fl. He seemed like a genuinely good and very friendly person. In todays terms I would call him the life of the party. He seems like a kind and funny person with whom I'd probably like to be friends with, if I could. Wang Yi Bo did an absolutely amazing job in his performance!

The chemistry of the main leads was praise-worthy! They seemed like a great match!

I PARTICULARLY enjoyed Hu Bing's performance as Li Zheng (Zhou Fei's grandfather). Whenever he was on screen I (and my mother) couldn't look away!
Also Geng Le was magnificent as Shen Tian Shu. I loved him in the Long Ballad and though I didn't love his character here, I absolutely loved his portrayal of the main antagonist. Some other performances I greatly enjoyed was that of Dong Xuan as Duan Jiu Niang, Zong Feng Yan as Zhou Yi Tang (Zhou Fei's father), Frankie Guo as
Mu Xiao Qiao (Phoenix Master) and Ruan Sheng as Wen Ji Yun Chen (North Blade). I can go on and on about how much I liked all of the actors but it'll take forever so I'll stop here.
All in all a great story with a great development and an amazing cast! I really recommend it and most probably will re-watch it in the future.

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