This review may contain spoilers
Okay standalone, but lacks action and charm
I'll start with what I have watched, which is actually all the series that have been released to date. But I will admit to skipping many scenes that I wasn't interested in, especially in Tomb of the Sea.
The Lost Tomb (2015)
The Lost Tomb 2 (2019)
The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note (2021, THIS SERIES)
Ultimate Note (2020)
Tomb of the Sea (2018)
Reunion: Sound of the Providence (2020)
So with that in mind, it is very hard for me to review this series without comparing it to the others. My review will seem mostly negative, but I do still recommend watching this for any Daomu Biji fans.
- Plot: 6.5/10
Don't try too hard to link this with the prequel and sequels. They have changed quite a bit. They might have tried to make it more interesting than the novel, I'm not sure. I will say that I didn't care at all for the plot happening outside the tomb, and even the plot happening in the tomb was merely okay. First half was pretty boring, but it got better in the second half, but still not super engaging.
- Action: 4/10
Probably the most disappointing part of this series is the lack of action and cool fight scenes. It's practically non-existent in the first half, and we only get some bits in the second half. And barely any from our resident badass Zhang Qiling. There is more shooting than martial arts. I suppose when the only enemies are birds or centipedes there isn't much room for kung fu.
- Tomb Exploration: 4/10
Another disappointment. Not many interesting traps/mechanisms/puzzles, some of the settings looked cool but that's about it. I will give them props for lighting everything nicely so I'm not struggling to make things out. Budget was pretty high for making realistic environments though.
- Characterisation: 7.5/10
This is usually where the DMBJ adaptations shine for me. My favourite version of Wu Xie is Neo Hou (TLT2), followed closely by Zhu Yilong (Reunion) and Zeng Shunxi (UN). This version of Wu Xie more closely matches UN personality-wise, which is fine but makes Wu Xie less calm and intelligent. This actor did a great job, but he didn't really give off the charisma and charm that Wu Xie should have, and can't compete with the talents of Zhu Yilong and Zeng Shunxi. This Wu Xie also makes some questionable choices, such as his reactions to Pangzi's supposed betrayal. Pangzi is just like from the prequel, which was my favourite version of Pangzi too. Money-loving, jokes a lot, but still has his core values and cares a lot about Wu Xie. He definitely does not deserve Wu Xie's judgement when Wu Xie himself has secret dealings with Ah Ning! Zhang Qiling... well, much better than the prequel, but much worse than Ultimate Note, and similar to the Reunion version. He's there, but might as well not be with how underwhelming his presence is in most scenes. Ep 18 is the only highlight. The other characters are all pretty solid. Everyone's acting was great, it mostly came down to the script.
-Pingxie? 6.5/10
Ep 18 was pretty memorable. Other than that though, there isn't really a whole lot of it.
- Music: 8/10
Quite good! Nothing to rave about, but they made a pretty good OST, especially the ED song. Can't compete with Reunion OST though.
Even with all these issues, I still feel that it is worth the watch. No need to binge-watch it like I did though. And don't expect it to be as good as Ultimate Note or Reunion. But who knows, you may enjoy it much more than me!
The Lost Tomb (2015)
The Lost Tomb 2 (2019)
The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note (2021, THIS SERIES)
Ultimate Note (2020)
Tomb of the Sea (2018)
Reunion: Sound of the Providence (2020)
So with that in mind, it is very hard for me to review this series without comparing it to the others. My review will seem mostly negative, but I do still recommend watching this for any Daomu Biji fans.
- Plot: 6.5/10
Don't try too hard to link this with the prequel and sequels. They have changed quite a bit. They might have tried to make it more interesting than the novel, I'm not sure. I will say that I didn't care at all for the plot happening outside the tomb, and even the plot happening in the tomb was merely okay. First half was pretty boring, but it got better in the second half, but still not super engaging.
- Action: 4/10
Probably the most disappointing part of this series is the lack of action and cool fight scenes. It's practically non-existent in the first half, and we only get some bits in the second half. And barely any from our resident badass Zhang Qiling. There is more shooting than martial arts. I suppose when the only enemies are birds or centipedes there isn't much room for kung fu.
- Tomb Exploration: 4/10
Another disappointment. Not many interesting traps/mechanisms/puzzles, some of the settings looked cool but that's about it. I will give them props for lighting everything nicely so I'm not struggling to make things out. Budget was pretty high for making realistic environments though.
- Characterisation: 7.5/10
This is usually where the DMBJ adaptations shine for me. My favourite version of Wu Xie is Neo Hou (TLT2), followed closely by Zhu Yilong (Reunion) and Zeng Shunxi (UN). This version of Wu Xie more closely matches UN personality-wise, which is fine but makes Wu Xie less calm and intelligent. This actor did a great job, but he didn't really give off the charisma and charm that Wu Xie should have, and can't compete with the talents of Zhu Yilong and Zeng Shunxi. This Wu Xie also makes some questionable choices, such as his reactions to Pangzi's supposed betrayal. Pangzi is just like from the prequel, which was my favourite version of Pangzi too. Money-loving, jokes a lot, but still has his core values and cares a lot about Wu Xie. He definitely does not deserve Wu Xie's judgement when Wu Xie himself has secret dealings with Ah Ning! Zhang Qiling... well, much better than the prequel, but much worse than Ultimate Note, and similar to the Reunion version. He's there, but might as well not be with how underwhelming his presence is in most scenes. Ep 18 is the only highlight. The other characters are all pretty solid. Everyone's acting was great, it mostly came down to the script.
-Pingxie? 6.5/10
Ep 18 was pretty memorable. Other than that though, there isn't really a whole lot of it.
- Music: 8/10
Quite good! Nothing to rave about, but they made a pretty good OST, especially the ED song. Can't compete with Reunion OST though.
Even with all these issues, I still feel that it is worth the watch. No need to binge-watch it like I did though. And don't expect it to be as good as Ultimate Note or Reunion. But who knows, you may enjoy it much more than me!
Was this review helpful to you?