Highly Misunderstood for having bad chemistry

Instead of a fully comprehensive review, this is more like a review that addresses the most common issues that viewers have with the drama and my take on them.

First and foremost though, I have to give a massive shout-out to the producers and singers of TBW's OST. This is objectively one of the most well-balanced OSTs released so far this year across Kdramas, J-Dramas, Thai, and C-dramas. Not only are the songs wonderful to listen to, but they also perfectly suit the theme and story of the drama, and all have that fantastical feel to them, which just enhances the fantasy aspect of the production. Kudos!!

Next, I want to address the production/budget/CGI. I must say that this drama has the best NINE-TAILED FOX animation that I have ever seen. Furthermore, given the looks of the costumes and original sets, this is clearly a high-budget production. My personal favorite CGI moments were the mermaid tail for Chang Yi, the nine tails for Yunhe, and the prison in which Ji Yunhe was imprisoned. There were some tiny parts of questionable CGI in a couple of episodes, but they were pretty forgettable considering the fact that I can't even pinpoint the episodes that had the aforementioned slightly poor editing/CGI.

Now for the concerns: One of the major complaints I have seen so far is that the two main leads have no chemistry. I completely agree to a certain extent. At the beginning of the drama, for the first 11 episodes or so, the two leads have no chemistry. However, it is important to keep in mind that this is because Ji Yunhe doesn't love Chang Yi as deeply yet. She is tricking him and a lot of her affection for him at that point is still a misguided sense of guilt. Unfortunately, our boy Chang Yi had already fallen deep for her by episode 4. It is clear as day that he likes her but she doesn't like him. Now imagine feigning chemistry with someone you dislike and have imprisoned? I, personally, would have no chemistry whatsoever. At this point, the show was a 6/10 for me. But as soon as YunHe was imprisoned, and Chang Yi had his personal growth arc, it was clear as day that they loved each other. This is when I realized why the main couple had no chemistry yet. It's because their love story lacked a very important thing: ANGST. However, as soon as the angst was introduced, this drama instantly jumped to an 8/10 for me. I enjoyed the arc where they pinned after each other but couldn't admit it. Ji Yunhe was being eaten away by guilt and her feeling of betrayal for pushing Chang Yi off the cliff. And Chang Yi too was heartbroken but hated the fact that he still loved her despite her "betrayal". NOW, THIS IS WHAT I LIKE TO SEE HAHAHA. THE ANGST WAS GOOD. Though I do have to say it was slightly dragged out, but this is how the novel goes so can't help it. From episode 21 of season 1 to the end of the show in season 2 though, the chemistry is there. Especially when he gives her the Merman mark. This is show is slow burn not in the sense of how long it took the leads to fall in love madly, but in how long and arduous it is for them to get together given their star-crossed lovers status.

The next concern is how people argue that Lin Haoqing better suited Ji Yunhe. I have to disagree here. I am someone who frequently suffers from Second Lead Syndrome, but this time I wanted Lin Haoqing to intentionally not get the girl. I say this because while people argue that he did everything to keep her safe and protect her, the way he treated her still didn't sit well with me. You don't treat loved ones like that. Chang Yi loved Yunhe enough to cut his tail off for her, but LHQ didn't love YunHe enough to respect the fact that she wanted Chang Yi to keep his tail. LHQ manipulated the then innocently in love CY to cut off his tail despite Yunhe telling LHQ to stay away from CY. If I loved someone, the first thing I would do for them is learning to respect their wills and wishes, and not do as I pleased.

Lastly, people complain about Ren JiaLun's lack of character but that is also coming from a grossly misunderstood root. I have never watched him before, but he did Chang Yi justice. However, you couldn't really see the depth of his character until he was pushed off the cliff. This is important because it added another dimension to his character. Now he could not only love but also lie if need be. The last 10 episodes of season 2 perfectly highlight CY's development throughout the season. Heck, his character develops until the very last episode. He learns to trust Yunhe again and he lets her go. In fact, he entraps her in the volcano himself because she tells him that she will come to find him when the time is right and the demon dies. He accepts it, and that for me was a testament to how far his character had come.

So in conclusion, TBW is a drama that has a huge payoff, only if you have the patience to let its slow-burnesque trials and tribulations play out. It is a beautiful drama and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, my enjoyment was deeply enhanced by the fact that the OST fucking played at the perfect time every time. Chef's Kiss for sure!!

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