Good pacing! finally!

TLDR: A well paced wuxia drama with flawed characters, rare for the genre! (this review contains spoilers)

I should say first that this review will be very biased since the manhua this show is based on was one of my favorites back in 2015. I was familiar with the story going in, but it had been a while since I had read it so I had forgotten a lot of it. Overall I really liked this series, it's in my top 3 for sure. When I watch a show I mostly pay attention to the characters and their arcs, and less to the plot, so my review will also be mostly about what I thought of the characters in this story (and how it differs from what I remember from the manhua). This is my first review, so feel free to tell me if I write something wrong ^^

CHARACTERS:

TangSan:
Major main character plot armor, and reckless to a fault. He's super trusting of people, and so he quite the colorful collection of friends over the course of the story. He is also a lot more flawed in the show than he is in the manhua, and I felt that this was handled appropriately by the script writer and I enjoyed it. The reason he overcomes so many obstacles so quickly is because of his parents, and the practical treasure trove they left him as far as magical items go. The only reason he even survives the last boss encounter in the last episode is because of his dad. I love all the characters in this story, but I would've enjoyed his character arc more if he didn't give of rich boy vibes.

XiaoWu:
Best Girl ^tm. I love her, and all her character stands for. I'd say shes a good example of a flat character arc, and when it's just as important for a character to stick to their values even when they encounter plot obstacles. I just hope she gets more development in the second season. Some people probably think her relationship with TangSan is weird, but it's pretty much the same in the manhua so I was already used to it.

The other Shrek Seven Devils:
All with justifiable flaws according to their characters. I especially enjoyed the drama's interpretation of MaHongJun, giving him visible trouble with his anxiety in stressful situations. Often characters with fire powers are shown to have issues with anger, so I thought is was interesting to see his fire control be rooted in not feeling overwhelmed/threatened.

Spirit Hall:
For the first half of the show I was pretty disappointed with the series's portrayal of the spirit hall organization. Towards the end though, I enjoyed the interactions between TangSan and HuLieNa. I really liked how the issues they have with their parents are mirrored, and they have this unspoken understanding even though they don't know each other's real identities.

TangHao (TangSan's father):
A horrible father >:( I wish we got to know more about him, but since the story is from TangSan's perspective, he doesn't show up very often. His exact ties to spirit hall was actually a twist I didn't see coming, I hope we get to know his backstory more in the second season.

DuguBo (aka poison master):
My personal favorite character. I can't help but love those hard to deal with, overly truthful characters I guess lol. The interactions between him, TangSan and XiaoWu are really funny to me. I liked him even more in the manhua, since he shows up more.

The other titled douluo masters :
Props to the author for making this world seem so big with so many different levels of characters. One of my favorite parts of this story is how many unique power sets there are, from your basic fire manipulation, to animal-inspired fighting characteristics, to an especially good hammer lol. I thought that chrysanthemum master specifically was a really charming character and his powers were super interesting, though it sucks that he's a bad guy.

PLOT:

The first plot really only exists for the three main characters to meet, its not really addressed in any plot points later on. It's whatever. The part of the show I enjoyed the most was when the Shrek Seven Devils are forming and training together, I could feel the chemistry between all of them and the pacing was good. The tournament arc was more boring because you knew that they were going to win the entire time, the stakes weren't that high. I wish there was more time spent with DuguYan and in the inter-layer space, since that was a really interesting part of the manhua, and helps explain TangSan's past a bit more thoroughly. The last two episodes were pretty drawn out, but other than that, my only real complaint though is that there isn't more! I'm not a fan of cliffhanger endings >:(

COSTUME / MUSIC / SETS:

This was pretty average compared to other recent wuxia dramas I've seen. I don't really like the opening or closing songs, but the instrumentals that played during the episode were effective. Their costumes were more fantasy rather than historically accurate, and each character had a very distinct style. This made the costuming seem kind-of disjointed, but made it easier to memorize all the characters. I would say that this is not the most realistic or convincing drama as far as the art direction goes, but I can forgive that since the original story takes place in a loosely earth-based fantasy world.

RE-WATCH VALUE:

I generally don't re-watch series so I can't give a fair judgement of this category, though I think I might re-watch this in a couple years once I've forgotten some of it. I'm definitely going to watch the donghua though, since I hear that the story is interpreted differently in it.

Thanks for reading my ramblings, Here's hoping for a season 2!

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Beautiful landscapes and depiction of Mongolian culture

TLDR: Beautifully shot WWII film set on the Mongolian plains. Themes of healing in the midst of wartime. I recommend this to anyone who likes slow paced movies with beautiful scenery.

- Content Warnings -
There are a few scenes with graphic violence (eg. gunshots) and direct camera shots of wounds.

- Story -
This is the story of a Mongolian woman named Norjmaa during the beginning of WWII. We see through her eyes as the war comes to her homeland, and her community leaves for a safer area. She stays as she waits for a man she loves named Hanggai. She finds and takes in two injured soldiers from opposing countries, nursing them back to health with traditional Mongolian medicine. Over the course of the movie she reflects on her past relationships in the context of the war going on around her.

It's a simple story, but is executed with love and care which really moved me as I watched. The main focus of the film is the relationships between the characters, and their interaction with the surrounding landscape.

- Main Characters -
Norjmaa is a caring woman and stubborn in her ways. Over the course of the movie we get to know her daily routine and the animals she cares for, as she lives her everyday life. Her life is disrupted by the war and the soldiers, but she adapts and cares for the people and nature around her.

The two soldiers are the war personified. At first they take every opportunity to kill each other, but as time goes on they begin to heal and trust one another. All three main characters speak different languages.

- Acting / Production -
The acting / script writing is really good for the low budget! The characters feel real and I was hooked into the movie the entire time. There are a lot of landscape shots which show how the characters interact with their environment. This sets the peaceful tone of the movie and makes the film grounded in it's setting. The flashbacks are well placed to give more context to the story. This movie does have a slow pace to fit it's peaceful theme.

- Music / Sets / Costume -
I really want to know where this was filmed, it's so beautiful! At first I could hardly believe they were actually shooting on scene. The use of both silence and traditional music enhances the scenes for the viewer. Much of the music is performed on the Morin khuur, a traditional Mongolian stringed instrument. The film was shot and acted by Mongolian people, and all the sets and costumes are authentic.

- Rewatch Value -
I personally don't rewatch movies, but the beautiful landscapes in this movie are enough to recommend multiple watches.

I wholeheartedly recommend this to those who like WWII movies, or movies with beautiful scenery and a slower pace.

Thank you for reading!

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