Well developed likable characters and captivating plot

This drama is probably my all time favorite and was one of the few I've actually watched all the way to the end. It had an all around interesting plot line and a surprisingly well done representation of the main pairing despite china's censorship laws.

One of its main draws is from the lead pair and the immediate chemistry between the two, with the actors doing a wonderful job to portray the free spirited Wei Wuxian, and the stoic yet morally righteous Lan Wangji. Even though their romance can not be acknowledged out right, the drama still easily showcases the soulmate level connection and partnership between the two.

My biggest complaint against dramas are their tendency to create a romantic pair where the female lead is often a damsel in distress. Even dramas with advertised strong independent woman often have the woman easily swayed by the opinions of their dashing male love interest. While Wei Wuxian certainly had some damsel moments he was also a powerhouse in his own right who saved Lan Wangji just as much as the other rescued him. Additionally the two were easily capable f disagreeing with each other stubborn enough to not immediately pander to the other's ways. This drama even managed to enhance the role of female characters by giving characters like Wen Qing a bigger role than she had in the novel which helped to establish her as a powerful female character who was more than just a potential love interest.

The storyline itself was definitely interesting with enough twists and conflict to create a captivating and immensely satisfying story. I will recognize there were some flaws in the story telling, as I felt that the beginning itself was a little dry and drawn out, and spent almost too much time on side plots when we had barely even got into the main story. Once you get into the meat of the story, though, it is easy to get sucked in and the storylines are impressively developed.

The other thing from this drama that really caught my attention was the well developed side characters that came along with it. Even with the focus heavily on the leads the supporting cast were well developed and all had somewhat of a role in the story that had some measure of impact. They had understandable motivations and fears, and even villainous characters were well fleshed out earning some measure of sympathy from the audience. On that note I also thought the acting for the villains was especially well done which was crucial because what use is a hero without a good villain?

The music for this drama was beautiful and while the cgi sometimes came off as tacky and overly dramatic it was not to the point where I was completely distracted from the major plot line. Overall an amazing drama that is definitely worth a watch.

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