I was very surprised by how much I actually enjoyed this drama, even though 2 people I follow are in it and I wanted to see knowing Wu Lei was a child actor and having now seen him in many things as a young adult, was curious how he was as a teen. He met every single one of the expectations and then some for the role. I heard people hated on him at the time this was released; I'd just say they were jealous or had nothing better to do. Many actors that I've seen since in other things, seeing them here was always a pleasant surprise. Obviously, watching a 2018 drama in 2023 is an entirely different ballgame but I go into each drama with literally zero expectations even if it's an anticipated one. Call it a personal pet peeve. Xiao Yan was the boy wunderkind.
Pro: Though called an "idol drama" just for the sheer number of boy banders in it; I viewed it as just another drama. As mentioned above, WL or XY was really great in every scene of his. He was able to hit each emotion and movement on the nose. He was 17 then, 23 now and it was there when he was really angry that I saw a young Ashile Sun or Ling Bu Yi in the making. That smoldering glare of "if looks could kill or at least maim" was very impressive and on point. Am I praising him because I follow him? No. I'm an equal opportunity critic especially since I'm an author/writer myself and know how a character should express their scenes even if I haven't read the material. I know this thing was popular when it aired so obviously he did something right. His evolution was fantastic. I have to praise the author of the IP for the character itself. To go from almost no martial art skills to that of a near God in 45 episodes is impressive to say the least. Truly wish he and many others reprised their roles in the sequel though I know that's not happening. The martial arts scenes were awesome, especially as XY ascended in power.
Had many favorite secondary characters but the one he had the best banter with was Yao Chen or Yao Lo aka the psychedelic-haired genius trapped in the ring. Baron Chen was an absolute riot as him. I would have loved to see more scenes with just them two. They had the best back and forth friendship even though they were essentially Shifu and student. I lost count how many times I was cracking up at their mutual bitching or antics. This relationship was the best tension breaker when Soul Hall was getting out of control with their evil. It was like a grab and release, each and every time.
If I start listing all of the other great characters that molded so well by XY's side, we'll be here all night. But just about every character was an awesome addition, including the antagonists like the Omega (JR Ward BDB novel reference) looking Old Fan, just 86 the evil cackle which always just destroys the credibility of a villain as it makes me think of a Halloween store decoration. I had forgotten Xiao Zhan was in this one way back when he was still a new face on the block. He's one the Yan Sect pact boys I really liked, so it was a pleasant surprise to see his face on screen. Just wish they didn't poof him from 20 episodes only to return him in the last few (but I'm guessing that had more to do with his own filming schedule conflicts). Everyone XY aligned himself with like the snake tribe and its gorgeous queen was awesome. When it came to chemistry and who he was ultimately best with, in part one I couldn't tell because it seemed like Xun'er was the obvious choice and the one he got jealous over, but he played his naïveté so well, everyone's guess is good. Hopefully in part 2, they appropriately address it and have him choose just one and not 471. Head of the academy Elder Mi was more like a father figure to XY than his own father though the latter did everything in secret to protect XY. Also loved his older brothers from the desert. Just too many people to put down, but overall the support from family and acquired friends and allies was pretty outstanding.
Production itself was alright but not super tight; I was actually happy with the less is more concept. Costumes, OSTs, sets, etc were well done and believable for the time. The cliffhanger was pretty well executed even considering audiences 5 years plus are still waiting for part 2. It gave people hope instead of many that just confuse the hell out of everyone. As far as cliffhangers go, it was the best way to do it. I liked it a lot; though I wasn't a fan of Xun'er's betrayal as he's "dying." I hope she gets a crack in the head from him for that.
Cons: As many mentioned, there were plot holes in the series that never were resolved or understood. How did XY's mom stick Yao Lo and a bunch of treasures into a ring when she was so badly wounded and he was already dead? What happened to the Mo Clan after its leader was killed? How did the snake tribe know where to go during that last battle? And the student friends of XY from the academy arrived on scene after everything was cratered, just like "wifey" and her new magical beast. Did some bulletin go out to the rest of the world? Or was everyone psychic and telepathic? Where did his brothers from the desert go? How were they not found before for years but magically when XY is doing that 30 day trial underground, they poof and no clue to whether they're dead or alive. Many, many others. At a time with no limit on episodes, they could have explained a lot of this and better. Didn't like that there were a few episodes without XY at the end just so they could shove in small subplots to make room for the final battle, but it opened the door to even more questions that were never revealed. I also wish they had told him of what happened to his clan sooner, it was very anti-climactic.
Why couldn't they get rid of Han Heng before part 2 because it seemed to me like he possessed more power then even Old Fan and all he did pretty much the entire series was whine, throw his hair around like some cocky Fabio, and try to pin every problem of their lands on XY; it got old quick. How did he even know where the cave was, how to use the spatial ring, etc at the end? It just cut off any logic. The guy was a straight up douche and didn't deserve to outlive other, perhaps better even antagonists. The zombies were just undead people with eye makeup, quite lousy. The camera shook repeatedly and could be extremely noticeable. So I hope in part 2, they bring everything full circle and use better fantastical elements instead of the cheap zombie extras.
Would I recommend it? I would. And am even going to try part 2 despite the change in everything from cast to production. If you want an adventurous, fun, well moving story with great martial arts that's like a blend of wuxia and fantasy, give this a try.
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