Zhao Liying, Wang Yibo, Zhang Hui Wen, Chen Ruo Xuan
Drama Rating: 9/10 Neck Score: A
I heard someone describe it on Twitter (sorry I don't remember who) as an RPG with lots of side quests, and they weren't wrong at all. There is the overarching problem or goal of getting the legendary artifact Hai Tian Yi Se, but there are so many other side plots and stories that don't seem to quite connect until all the pieces start falling into place. Was this originally a D&D campaign? It wouldn't surprise me. We have a Fighter/Sword hero, a monk, a druid/poison master, rogue, barbarian... it's still a Wuxia drama so most of the heroes are sword masters, but I probably could find subclasses to fit them all into if I tried hard enough. But I do love that no one has to stay in their initial box. Each of the female leads was strong in their own ways. A'Fei was a master martial artist, Chu Chu had her own gentle strength that was diplomatic and strategically smart, with a good dash of scholarly as well. Even Li Yan had her evil manipulation genius as she talked her way out of bad situations and got herself a little harem of dudes who could protect her when she couldn't. As the youngest and most naïve, she still carried her own weight for the most part, even if it was just taming some of the dudes with her domineering ways.
At the start of it, everyone is so young and naïve, but thankful mostly likable. I'll admit that I didn't like Li Sheng at first, which made his growing up the more appreciative. It's that sort of change from being young and stupid, hot headed, or frivolous, to being the heroes that are willing and able to take on anything, who think before they leap, and who respect what they have and use it to protect, etc. that just makes for a good story. Also, throw in a side of multiple sweet romances, and you've got a great drama. I appreciate also that there were little to no love triangles, because while romance is a heavy element, it's not the main plot, and I am so over love triangles. Obviously romance is a strong part of the drama. I would say that the main couple's love story is one of the most important elements, a driving motivation for some of the show, but ultimately their relationship is more of a tool to their development rather than a plot.
I also loved the Disha bad guys for the most part. I was a little annoyed with a few of them, but overall, they were a classy set of villains. I freaking loved Shen Tian Shu's deep gravelly voice and smirk. I swear they made eyepatch dude, Tong Tian Yang, have the eyepatch to hide his handsome, chiseled features. I loved his over-the-top evilness. I actually just loved that even the group of villains had a variety of characters and talents too, with very distinct personalities from over-the-top in your face to "I'm kind of done with this shiz."
So, if you like Wuxia, or Chinese fantasy costume dramas, I highly recommend this one as an awesome drama, with strong, awesome female leads, dudes who love them BECAUSE they are awesome and powerful, and a lovely weave of side quests that carefully lead us to a pretty great climax. I almost didn't want to finish it, because then it would be over. In fact I had like 8 episodes left and I started a rewatch of The Untamed instead (to see baby Wang Yibo) to delay the inevitable. And also because I knew that once I started those episodes I wouldn't stop until it was over. I lost a bit of sleep to that fact, but that is also just a testament to how good this show it. I loved it.
