The book this show is based on is incredibly epic. As such, this drama has big shoes to fill. Thankfully, this is probably the best drama I’ve ever watched. I have never written a review for a drama, but I’ve been so moved, I needed to share my praise.

Evernight is a beautifully filmed drama that does it all: it’s endearing, funny, action-filled, suspenseful, has a smart plot, amazing actors, and an incredibly ambitious vision (of an already ambitious author) brought to life by the director!

I admit that I started this series out of boredom. I mean, that poster? The default poster for this show does it no justice. Terribly understates the mystical feel of the drama and is not the best photo of the ML and FL. After the first episode though, I’ve been hooked.

The leads: Arthur Chen does an amazing job as Ning Que. Having read the book, he does a great job of playing a cold-blooded bandit killer seeking revenge AND being the sweetest person to his little handmaiden. Ning Que’s character is very complex and I am so thrilled that he is doing NQ justice. I’m not interested in watching pretty faces with mediocre acting skills play their characters with stereotypical acting faces. It’s refreshing to see Arthur Chen as NQ because he really helps bring NQ’s obsessive revenge, shamelessness, and subtle romance with Sangsang to life.

Song Yi Ren…during the first episode, I actually wished that the main lead will fall in love with someone else! But Sangsang’s character is my favorite of the book and drama. Song Yi Ren does an amazing job brightening her character while still preserving the quiet nature of Sangsang. I seriously look forward to every one of her scenes and her low key blunt and sassy comments.

The romance: These two main leads have incredible chemistry! Sometimes their scenes together are such a tease because it can be so brief, but the endearing nature of it will tug at your heart.

The supporting cast: For reasons above, this show is already amazing, and they will continue to impress you with the talent of their supporting cast. It’s cringeworthy in other dramas when you get a scene with supporting cast or extras and the acting is terrible. This is the best drama with the most amazing supporting cast. Chao Xiaoshu (one of the best fighting scenes with NQ), Chen Pipi (you will love his bromance with NQ), Second Brother, Headmaster, and literally all of them are incredible actors. Even the extras die realistically in battles! And the children actors are talented as well and they’re in some pretty tough scenes.

The music: So good, so varied, and so well timed. You will not get bored listening to the amazing music. One of the songs is sung by Jane Zhang and her voice is incredible. One of the folk songs is written by Sangsang in the book.

The plot: The book is seriously epic in world building and character building so it has a strong foundation to create this story. I love trope subversions and Evernight is unlike other rehashed stories with different faces. It is genuinely funny and the humor is not forced and dragged without that annoying “I’m being mischievous” background music. When the humor happens, it’s short, fast, and effective.

Compared to the book: I started the series, then 1/4 of the way through, I wanted to read the book to get to the ending haha. And I feel in love with the story even more. It’s seldom to see a book be interpreted into tv/movie with the right feeling you felt while reading the book unfold. The director (a woman!) and this team were able to do that and more. I actually really like the little details that the director changed in the drama.

Having seen a little glimpse of the ending credits (I try not to watch too much of it), I have some pretty good hunches on what scenes will be added from the book, and I am so excited! It’s a beautifully written story and I’m happy that the caliber of the drama has been able to meet it. I can’t wait to finish the drama!

Final note: I’m sad (really sad) that Arthur Chen is not coming back for season 2. I heard there is even a season 3? I was even thinking of dropping this drama, but even if it is for just one season, it’s a happy experience watching this lovely drama unfold. I had once said I wouldn’t even look at the next seasons in protest, but I felt like that wouldn’t be fair for the director, actors, and crew as they didn’t have a say in the matter. Things happen, and maybe the next actor will surprise us. The fact is that season 1 is already a shoo-in.

What are you doing? Go watch this

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