This has been the most addictive Wuxia TV series! With a cliff-hanger at the end of each episode it was super easy to polish off 51 episodes in less than a month.
The storyline swings from light-hearted witty banter to mystical intrigue to revenge and bloodshed via outright swordfight or creative poisoning then back again to playful outwitting. And at the centre of it all is a sweet love story between a resilient but lonely beggar and her hero.
Ariel Lin puts on an outstanding performance as Hua Buqi, the bright-eyed beggar (who's uncle really should have taught her some self-defence knowing that she would be hunted down like her mother to fulfil a prophecy). What she lacks in martial art skills though, she makes up for in street smarts and business acumen. And it has been enjoyable to watch her get out of one debacle after another. Buqi is strong, positive and empathetic. She doesn't feel sorry for herself even when she's abducted and locked up again and again. Despite being saved many times by various people, she doesn't wait around for it to happen. While most people would have long grown bitter, she continues to care about others and desires to make the world a better place. I can see why after a five-year hiatus from period dramas, Ariel decided to take on this project.
While in other Asian films, I have found the romantic scenes between the leads awkward, Ariel Lin and Vin Zhang made it comfortable to watch. Ariel brought energy and class, and her acting was flawless. And Vin has a magnetic onscreen presence and he seems to effortlessly have great chemistry with leading ladies (even when he's not the leading man). He was perfectly casted as Buqi's morally upright love interest and as a cool, masked hero of her dreams.
Apart from the witty dialogue and sentimental attachment to the leads, I was captivated by the intricate and vibrant costumes. They really transported me back to that era, albeit make-believe. The fashion details down to the female servants' different hairstyles in each of the merchant houses were a visual treat. Buqi had so many costume changes that I could not keep up.
The plot was fast-paced, character driven and not formulaic. The writers never leave the audience in the dark for longer than one episode. While there were times I could not understand the characters' micro-expressions, thankfully there were many low IQ servants who their masters had to explain their motives to. I appreciated that there were not many annoying talk-aloud-your-thoughts moments and any misunderstandings between the characters didn't drag on. I also liked how the writers tactfully made a point about parents pushing their dreams onto their children and subtly touched on younger generation being more swayed by romanticism opposed to the older being more power focused.
What was frustrating were the many coincidences and connections between the characters that it was almost like a Hollywood rom-com. The intense filial piety, which often propelled the plot, is hard for Western viewers to digest along with characters screaming out the names of the deceased as though that would call them back to life.
*****SPOILER ALERT. PLEASE STOP READING IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW ENDING********
The ending mirrored the beginning, and it was rushed. Before you can even take a breath in Episode 51, two favoured characters are impaled by a sword. Most of it was not logical so it did not leave a satisfying imprint like Rogue One's ending.
There were too many loose ends. While the Lotus robed hero legacy lives on, nothing is said about the House of Zhu.
The decision making of highly intellectual characters such as Mo Ruofei no longer seemed rational. Her hot-headed cousin, Yun Lang, seemed to see clearer who their real enemy was better than her.
It was also bizarre considering previous plot movements depended on characters devising strategies and the last fight scene was purely random with no back-up from either side.
Finally, the ending showed that Chen Yu had little character development even though he is the male lead. He started out as a lone hero and remained one, not seeking advice from others. Sadly, his relationship with Buqi didn't develop as he still withheld his plans from her until the final episode. They seemed most in sync when they were in the bandit caves once again after Buqi had to convince him to let her help him. On the other hand, Liu Qingwu (villain turned Chen Yu's friend) had the most significant character development. She discovered her true identity, reconciled with her estranged sister, redirected her life goals, and she and the emperor grew to trust each other more.
If not for the confusing ending, I would have given this TV series a 9/10.
I guess the most pressing question on every viewer's mind is - did Hua Buqi and Chen Yu live happily ever after? Sadly, I can only say we can pretend they did by re-watching Episode 44.
The storyline swings from light-hearted witty banter to mystical intrigue to revenge and bloodshed via outright swordfight or creative poisoning then back again to playful outwitting. And at the centre of it all is a sweet love story between a resilient but lonely beggar and her hero.
Ariel Lin puts on an outstanding performance as Hua Buqi, the bright-eyed beggar (who's uncle really should have taught her some self-defence knowing that she would be hunted down like her mother to fulfil a prophecy). What she lacks in martial art skills though, she makes up for in street smarts and business acumen. And it has been enjoyable to watch her get out of one debacle after another. Buqi is strong, positive and empathetic. She doesn't feel sorry for herself even when she's abducted and locked up again and again. Despite being saved many times by various people, she doesn't wait around for it to happen. While most people would have long grown bitter, she continues to care about others and desires to make the world a better place. I can see why after a five-year hiatus from period dramas, Ariel decided to take on this project.
While in other Asian films, I have found the romantic scenes between the leads awkward, Ariel Lin and Vin Zhang made it comfortable to watch. Ariel brought energy and class, and her acting was flawless. And Vin has a magnetic onscreen presence and he seems to effortlessly have great chemistry with leading ladies (even when he's not the leading man). He was perfectly casted as Buqi's morally upright love interest and as a cool, masked hero of her dreams.
Apart from the witty dialogue and sentimental attachment to the leads, I was captivated by the intricate and vibrant costumes. They really transported me back to that era, albeit make-believe. The fashion details down to the female servants' different hairstyles in each of the merchant houses were a visual treat. Buqi had so many costume changes that I could not keep up.
The plot was fast-paced, character driven and not formulaic. The writers never leave the audience in the dark for longer than one episode. While there were times I could not understand the characters' micro-expressions, thankfully there were many low IQ servants who their masters had to explain their motives to. I appreciated that there were not many annoying talk-aloud-your-thoughts moments and any misunderstandings between the characters didn't drag on. I also liked how the writers tactfully made a point about parents pushing their dreams onto their children and subtly touched on younger generation being more swayed by romanticism opposed to the older being more power focused.
What was frustrating were the many coincidences and connections between the characters that it was almost like a Hollywood rom-com. The intense filial piety, which often propelled the plot, is hard for Western viewers to digest along with characters screaming out the names of the deceased as though that would call them back to life.
*****SPOILER ALERT. PLEASE STOP READING IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW ENDING********
The ending mirrored the beginning, and it was rushed. Before you can even take a breath in Episode 51, two favoured characters are impaled by a sword. Most of it was not logical so it did not leave a satisfying imprint like Rogue One's ending.
There were too many loose ends. While the Lotus robed hero legacy lives on, nothing is said about the House of Zhu.
The decision making of highly intellectual characters such as Mo Ruofei no longer seemed rational. Her hot-headed cousin, Yun Lang, seemed to see clearer who their real enemy was better than her.
It was also bizarre considering previous plot movements depended on characters devising strategies and the last fight scene was purely random with no back-up from either side.
Finally, the ending showed that Chen Yu had little character development even though he is the male lead. He started out as a lone hero and remained one, not seeking advice from others. Sadly, his relationship with Buqi didn't develop as he still withheld his plans from her until the final episode. They seemed most in sync when they were in the bandit caves once again after Buqi had to convince him to let her help him. On the other hand, Liu Qingwu (villain turned Chen Yu's friend) had the most significant character development. She discovered her true identity, reconciled with her estranged sister, redirected her life goals, and she and the emperor grew to trust each other more.
If not for the confusing ending, I would have given this TV series a 9/10.
I guess the most pressing question on every viewer's mind is - did Hua Buqi and Chen Yu live happily ever after? Sadly, I can only say we can pretend they did by re-watching Episode 44.
