qiyouguaidao
AZ, USA
This review may contain spoilers
a promising series that could have been much more
overall, the series is quite decent and better than some other C-Drama series. but this series is not without its flaws.
the dialogues, characterization and portrayal of the main female lead, Zhou Fei, differ quite a bit from the traditional typecast main female hero, but it is really a welcome difference. from certain aspects, the character Zhou Fei feels real and endearing. the main male character, Xie Yun, is somewhat effeminate and not as endearing as the main female character in this series. within the context of this series, when comparing the two, i think Xie Yun is easily the more forgettable character compared to Zhou Fei.
this series offers quite a wide selection of characters that are endearing and unique, whether that be the male, female, or trans/gay characters. this series also offers an enjoyable amount of unique tragic characters which are relatable and believable in their own respective ways. i do feel that the character developments of certain characters like Duan Jiuniang could have been stronger/deeper. on the other hand, i feel like the actress who portray Li Jinrong could have acted better to make the character come alive stronger (for example, by having her shoulders straightened to the back to give that slightly imposing impression of a leader and one of the top martial artists).
some of the CGI are decent. the furniture, building architecture, and costumes are generally beautiful. a significant portion of the background noise/sound/music are fitting. the background sound/music are generally fitting. the dubbing can be off at times and somewhat noticeable and affect how one enjoys the different conversations as a whole.
there are portions or segments in the series with transitions that appear inconsistent and rough. i think this is either from poor editing, or rush editing, or lack of control/management in the editing process.
some of the more memorable segments involve the Ximo River which can really standout. in retrospect, the rescue scene of the villagers at the Big Medicine Village is a letdown, and could have been done much better.
below are some examples of major turnoffs in the series,
**spoilers**
the first major turnoff during the first 19 episodes. occurred after Old Lady Wang/Wong, Zhou Fei and Li Sheng left the 48 Fortress headquarter. the 15-16 episodes that progress after they leave the headquarter equate to maybe about 4-5 months time. there are numerous ways, opportunities, and plenty of time for either or both Zhou Fei and Li Sheng to report back to the headquarter. it wasn't until midway of episode 19 that we actually see Li Sheng attempt to send a report back to the headquarter. but ultimately, no report is sent from either Li Sheng or Zhou Fei. it shouldn't have taken so many episodes and so many events and plots to transpire before triggering the sending the message back to the headquarter.
the second turnoff occurs roughly between episode 25+ to 40. there seems to be higher frequency of non-smooth story/plot flows, giving the impression of rush editing works (maybe due to deadline constraint, budgeting constraint, or whatever). else, it could also be sloppy editing or sloppy storyboard flow management.
the third turnoff is the lack of closure on what happens to Wu Chuchu's younger brother, Wu Xiaodi. the character maybe only has a total of a few minutes of screen time, and then later is only mentioned in other characters' dialogues and/or flashback/s. it is not too clear what happens to Wu Xiaodi after the inn burns down, what transpires after the escaping the burning of the inn, how the character manage to survive after the ordeal, whether or not the character is reunited with his sister at the 48 Fortress headquarter, etc. it is understandable this is only a very small supporting character, but this character and Wu Chuchu are introduced quite early on to be almost as tragic characters. it would have been nice to have a tiny closure to Wu Xiaodi, even if it means having the character killed off.
the fourth major turnoff occurred in episode 47 and 48 during the rescue plot where the five young heroes attempt to rescue the captured prisoners in the Big Medicine Valley. some of the rescue scenes draw inspirations from other older films/series, meaning that those scenes are not original.
the dialogues, characterization and portrayal of the main female lead, Zhou Fei, differ quite a bit from the traditional typecast main female hero, but it is really a welcome difference. from certain aspects, the character Zhou Fei feels real and endearing. the main male character, Xie Yun, is somewhat effeminate and not as endearing as the main female character in this series. within the context of this series, when comparing the two, i think Xie Yun is easily the more forgettable character compared to Zhou Fei.
this series offers quite a wide selection of characters that are endearing and unique, whether that be the male, female, or trans/gay characters. this series also offers an enjoyable amount of unique tragic characters which are relatable and believable in their own respective ways. i do feel that the character developments of certain characters like Duan Jiuniang could have been stronger/deeper. on the other hand, i feel like the actress who portray Li Jinrong could have acted better to make the character come alive stronger (for example, by having her shoulders straightened to the back to give that slightly imposing impression of a leader and one of the top martial artists).
some of the CGI are decent. the furniture, building architecture, and costumes are generally beautiful. a significant portion of the background noise/sound/music are fitting. the background sound/music are generally fitting. the dubbing can be off at times and somewhat noticeable and affect how one enjoys the different conversations as a whole.
there are portions or segments in the series with transitions that appear inconsistent and rough. i think this is either from poor editing, or rush editing, or lack of control/management in the editing process.
some of the more memorable segments involve the Ximo River which can really standout. in retrospect, the rescue scene of the villagers at the Big Medicine Village is a letdown, and could have been done much better.
below are some examples of major turnoffs in the series,
**spoilers**
the first major turnoff during the first 19 episodes. occurred after Old Lady Wang/Wong, Zhou Fei and Li Sheng left the 48 Fortress headquarter. the 15-16 episodes that progress after they leave the headquarter equate to maybe about 4-5 months time. there are numerous ways, opportunities, and plenty of time for either or both Zhou Fei and Li Sheng to report back to the headquarter. it wasn't until midway of episode 19 that we actually see Li Sheng attempt to send a report back to the headquarter. but ultimately, no report is sent from either Li Sheng or Zhou Fei. it shouldn't have taken so many episodes and so many events and plots to transpire before triggering the sending the message back to the headquarter.
the second turnoff occurs roughly between episode 25+ to 40. there seems to be higher frequency of non-smooth story/plot flows, giving the impression of rush editing works (maybe due to deadline constraint, budgeting constraint, or whatever). else, it could also be sloppy editing or sloppy storyboard flow management.
the third turnoff is the lack of closure on what happens to Wu Chuchu's younger brother, Wu Xiaodi. the character maybe only has a total of a few minutes of screen time, and then later is only mentioned in other characters' dialogues and/or flashback/s. it is not too clear what happens to Wu Xiaodi after the inn burns down, what transpires after the escaping the burning of the inn, how the character manage to survive after the ordeal, whether or not the character is reunited with his sister at the 48 Fortress headquarter, etc. it is understandable this is only a very small supporting character, but this character and Wu Chuchu are introduced quite early on to be almost as tragic characters. it would have been nice to have a tiny closure to Wu Xiaodi, even if it means having the character killed off.
the fourth major turnoff occurred in episode 47 and 48 during the rescue plot where the five young heroes attempt to rescue the captured prisoners in the Big Medicine Valley. some of the rescue scenes draw inspirations from other older films/series, meaning that those scenes are not original.
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