Legend of the Phoenix (2019)

a cute romance that turned into a drama

i loved this show more than i thought and the main reason for it was the cast and the top notch acting that i enjoyed a lot. specially jeremy xu(the male lead) he is an outstanding actor. i don't know why they didn't give him more lead roles, he is already 35...he is amazing in both acting and looks. his eyes are specially pretty and charming. the story was interesting enough but it had some major plot holes of course. the thing that i was so disappointed in was the fact that the story's focus was the love story between the leads but it turned into a drama so fast. i wanted to see more lovey dovey scenes as i am a hardcore historical/romance fan but the half of the show was drama over and over again. my heart hurts right now. after they reunited again i was looking forward to see at least another 2 episodes with lovey dovey scenes but nothing happened but overall i liked this show enough to watch it again from time to time when i feel like it.

story 8/10: the story is about a free spirited girl who falls head over heals for a commander(later general) and tries her best to stay with him. she does everything for him, even puts her own life on the line multiple times and that gets the male lead's attention and bit by bit he also falls for the joyful girl, little did they know that them being together in the palace brings them hell and that hell is about the king's shit show of not knowing how to handle himself nor the country and because of that the leads and the poor queen are all involved in a complete shit show. i loved the leads to be together so i was looking for their happy parts but all i did was cry after the cute beginning of the show. FL accidentally kills a prince who wanted to rape her in the meantime the ML wasn't there because he was at war and the king who loved the FL took this opportunity and made her marry her only in the eyes to save her, later the ML's life was on the line and the king was going to abandon him so FL begged him to save the ML and that had a condition from the king's side"be my wife for real" and she did that to save the person that she loved but she also said that"i only belong to one man and one man alone so i don't want anyone to touch me" she meant she belongs to the male lead and therefore the king accepted her condition as well...for 20 episodes the leads can't touch each other, they just look at each other and cry...my poor heart shattered into pieces. the idiot king uses them however they want and dies at the end so after 10 years they meet again and live a normal life together.i wanted some lovey dovey scenes at the end but we got none :(((((

acting 10/10: excellent acting and cast, the leads did an amazing job and i truly enjoyed the show because of them. specially the male lead jeremy jones xu^^

music 9/10: so pleasant and wonderful...i have the soundtracks on my phone so i listen to them every day these days.

rewatch value 8.5/10: i truly enjoyed the story so i will rewatch this AGAIN for sure.

overall 9/10: the only thing that bothered me so much was lowering the focus on the leads love story. i wanted more love story and less drama but oh well...i liked it regardless^^

Lire davantage

Why is this drama not more loved??

I never write reviews but I just finished this drama for the second time and I loved (almost) every minute of it and the bits I hated were because of intentionally hateable characters. Re-watching and remembering the character progressions to come just made it even better! The characters are all complex, nuanced, and interesting. Everyone has their true self hidden by the appearance they carefully aim for, except for our FL Ningzhi who has no mask. She is all sincerity, compassion, and kindness, but she ends up in a place full of façade, ruthlessness, and hunger for power - the royal palace. She's honestly stupidly selfless at times but it's her complete lack of hidden motives and devotion to helping people that makes her the titular phoenix.

I think part of the low reviews are because people expect more conventional romance plots. The ML, Wei Guang, feels much older than and more "above" Ningzhi when they first meet but they grow together to become true partners as equals. There isn't much "romance" after the first few story arcs. Their relationship is loyal, committed, and full of a deep understanding of each other. Due to Ningzhi's consort status they spend most of the drama in a platonic relationship and eventually become part of a group with 2 others who share their loyalty and beliefs, and can I just say - squad goals! I love all the main characters (except the emperor he can choke). All the "good guys" are running around trying to save the country and its people from the incompetent fool in charge, which is a little too real... The main 4's friendship may be my favourite part, especially Ningzhi and the Empress. They all bring out the best in each other and fight for what they believe in together.

The only big issue I had was with the pacing. Years fly by without much explanation and no one visibly ages so it's hard to tell how much time has passed. Maybe it's due to budget or episode cuts, but there is also a lot of big events like battles happening off screen but since our main characters are usually separated for some reason or another, it doesn't feel like exposition dumping when we are caught up on off screen shenanigans since everyone is always getting reports on what the others are up to.

Overall I just really enjoyed this drama. The characters grow or regress so naturally, and feel like real people, even the bad ones except for maybe some of the explicit villains who we don't learn much by way of motivation. but I think they are meant to act as a plot device for the real villain which is power for the sake of power and seeking a good reputation for the sake of your ego. The show focusses on the dangers and responsibility of power, and the importance of true compassion and devotion to the common good. It also sees loving someone as support for what that person values and wants to do. And it focuses on more than just romantic love in this sense. It's also just really engrossing to watch for the story, acting, and costumes, and there are lots of varied fight choreographies to enjoy as well. Ningzhi and the Empress have some seriously beautiful outfits and accessories!

This is definitely a unique take on romantic/harem/political intrigue/historical dramas. The relationship is definitely more of silent longing and yearning. Think Mr Darcy eyes, but without explicit confessions because the emperor has just gotta marry everyone...

Lire davantage

This drama started off so hilarous/funny. I loved the way Ningzhi played the typical damsel-in-love in the beginning chasing around Wei Guang. But as you can see from the comments/spoilers that things will get serious, and I thought I would hate this drama as it seemed to be going in the direction of Yanxi Palace, but nope. The plot twist at the end left me satisfied.

I love this cast, I think they were all cast well. The story flowed, and as mentioned I thought it was pretty good. There were a lot of plot twists and scenes that gave me anxiety. I haven't binged watch a drama like this in a while, where I was not skipping scenes.

Overall, I likeable drama.

Lire davantage

A combo of bad writing & terrible direction + A blatant disregard to basic palace norms & etiquettes

Welcome back to me! Lol. So after a total of 83 days days, I finally completed this one of hell of a ridiculously challenging drama. And I would say "Whoah! That's a LOT". I don't even know where to start at this point.

Anyways, let me start this by going through the most problematic aspects of this production as a whole, and that is...the Direction and Writing itself—Dang! I can't even count how many times I complained about how bad both are throughout my entire experience of this drama. It's a combination of bad writing and amateur direction which resulted into a complete chaos. A terrible, ludicrous and disgraceful show to be very honest.

One thing I cannot understand is how are people giving this a Perfect 10 when it doesn't even deserve an 8 or 9, more so a 10!? Like, the heck are those people thinking? This drama feels like a food you want to throw away after taking a big bite of it expecting it to be delicious but turned out to be one of the nastiest food you have ever tried so far. I got fooled so bad by the good reviews and the fact that Jeremy Xu is here. I definitely did not expect him to have this kind of stupidly absurd drama on his arsenal. This production did him dirty! No wonder he's decided to retire. Geez!

The story per se maxed the hell out of my patience and drained every little piece of tolerance I have had stored as a back up. One of the MDL reviews I read stated that they finally matured after the first 10 episode and from then on, has started acting more matured and attentive. BUT I am here to counter that! Like what the hell does that person meant by episode 10? I was on Ep.26 and is still complaining on what is the director and writer thinking while supposedly directing and producing this drama? 85% or more of the events that's transpired does NOT make sense at all. The direction was straight out BAD! It was like a scratch paper of an amateur director trying various things to gain experience. It was not even bare minimum, it was lower than that—a total lackluster and disappointing show.

This drama is in a competition against itself on how ludicrous it is. Each and every episode, something absurd always happen—like several times!! Which never failed to surprise me and got my eyeballs rolling non-stop each time. It's fascinating how can it topple its previous episodes on that specific category every single chance it gets, which made me grief so hard on how ridicuously unrealistic and nonsensical those scenes are! Its consistency on that entire area was bewildering to the point it has become disgusting over time.

Another major aspect I can't bear to overlook because of how deliberate it was are the times they just do not conform to the Palace rules and etiquettes. Few examples are:

× Ye Ning Zhi (FL) arguing with the Empress even when she's just a Maid at that time.
× Not bowing to both the Emperor and Empress as if they're of the same status and even suddenly leaving their presense without proper "Farewell" salute/bow.
× The multiple occasions where she acted on her own whim as if she's not on the palace grounds and many more.

I mean, I understand that they want her to portray this lively, free-spirited and vibrant character but she just went too far that it has become an impertinent and insolent action as time passes by. I am sure all people in their era knows how different the Royal Palace is and how you should be "Treading on thin Ice" while you are there but she's different. She doesn't seems to care about all that and I guess the Director wanted her to appear as someone "Unique" but to me she's more of an ignorant and mischievous person who went to the palace to get killed. She was clumsy, careless and doesn't even follow the common rules. She would have died already if it was on a different "Proper" period drama. Her writing got so exaggerated that I feel frustrated and irritated watching her.

The way it was presented to us/viewers seemed like they meant to do it that way. Maybe to stand out or something? I don't know if it's some kind of marketing strategy and/or promotion to gain publicity but surely they captured my attention...in the most awful way. I mean, I understand negative publicity is still publicity. However, I believe there should be a limitation to that...right?? 1-2 times is alright, 3-4 is fine, 5-6 a bit much, 7-8 excessive, 9-10 overdoing it but 11-20 and even more? Isn't that just straight out being rude and stupid? This drama's such an insult to those intellectually analytic people. It's as if they've abandoned their common sense and have decided to go on with this drama without considering such things, which is techinically the most important basic ethics out there. Oh God!

Lastly, is the incompetent Emperor who never fails to disappoint till the very end. He's such a disgrace that watching him infuriates me. Also, it's funny how Ning Zhi feels like the one running and front lining the palace against the Royal Princess because both the Emperor and Empress are ill-tempered and rashed! Hasty and doesn't do much thinking when they do things.

Overall, I would say that this production meant to showcase the growth of the Female lead—as someone who rises from the lowest rank to become a spectacular figure head; and they accomplished that at the very end but at the expense of ruining the entire context of the show because of the foolish route they've chosen to proceed with to finish this drama.

Story - 5.0, I am still trying to give credits (Happy Ending + the healthy relationship between the Empress Dowager, Empress and Imperial Consort) where it's due at this point. But aside from all that this drama can be categorized as nasty trash. The way it disrupted, disregarded and ruined all the basic common knowledge in the Royal Palace will forever leave a foul taste on my mouth. Unacceptable!!

Acting/Cast - 7.0, I got no issue with the cast, their acting otherwise made me feel some things a lot of times. I do not know if they were merely following the directors guidance and instructions but most of them acted as if this is some kind of a "Role" they're trying hard to play. I mean, the acting was there but the obvious effort to deliver it was very evident all throughout, which threw me off countless of times. P.S. I am not used to Jeremy Xu being all smiley and playful at times so seeing him here brings me utter joy and fascination.

Music - 9.0, Honestly, the only thing I truly love about this drama is the OSTs used. Opening Song is sorrowful which helps set the mood of the drama + the insert music on each scenes are neatly done too. I just want to include this here as well...Dubbing reminded me of Chinese drama's decades ago which are always obviously dubbed.

Rewatch Value - 1.0, NOPE. NEVER! I will never put myself on the same situation again where I would lose my passion and appetite in watching dramas just because I stumbled upon a ridiculous nasty one.

Overall - 5.5, Considering everything, this is the best I could give for this drama as a whole. The story could've been promosing if they didn't incorporated so much nonsense and did not blatantly go against the basic norms. I can never recommend this drama to anyone. This is definitely one of the toughest drama for me to finish. I endured a lot. Geez! Never again.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

Lire davantage

Great until not so great

The drama lost me completely when they added another unnecessary love story with two episodes that added no value to the plot. The second part of the drama was a complete waste of time, with the same villains unpunished and the same old baddies. The main female protagonist kept getting hurt by the male lead over and over again, and when a villain died, another one showed up. The old sage who initially hated her did so many nasty things to her, and we received no satisfaction from his death.

However, I will say that the actors were great and had fantastic chemistry, despite the significant age gap, which made total sense. I was hooked on the drama because the male lead was a man, not a boy. Hugo and I could have been older, though. Senior Mu, aka Demon Thian, was my favorite character alongside the male lead. The main female actress did a good job of playing the innocent, naive follower, but I much prefer sassy heroines. However, after a few dozen episodes, watching her bullied and emotionally hurt became too much for me, and they lost me again.

I enjoyed the first 15 episodes, but when she turned into a demon, they lost me again. I had to start skipping ahead from episode 30. The storyline could have been better, even though it was a low-budget series. The background, construction, and props were well done, but as usual, there were inconsistencies with the wounds, blood, and lack of budget to hire more people for crowded demon places. The hate at first sight was exaggerated.

The drama has a happy ending but not the kind I like. They reunited after 10 years and all they do is stare at each other, smiled and play both music. ML cried. She didn't. No hug. No kiss. Completely a miss from the director here.

To be honest, when I reread this review, I noticed that I only mentioned negative comments. But despite everything, the drama is still worthy of watching as it had many cute moments that made me teary-eyed.

Lire davantage

Uma Jornada Fantástica: O Brilho Técnico e a Busca Pela Conexão Emocional

"Legend of the Phoenix" é uma série verdadeiramente fantástica em muitos aspectos. Ela apresenta atuações excepcionais, uma direção impecável, um enredo bem elaborado e um figurino espetacular. Além disso, o roteiro é muito bem construído, oferecendo uma experiência de visualização de alta qualidade.

A série é praticamente impecável em termos técnicos, com cada detalhe cuidadosamente elaborado para cativar o público. A atuação do elenco é envolvente e convincente, dando vida aos personagens de forma notável. A direção habilidosa aprimora a narrativa, criando cenas cativantes e emocionantes.

O enredo é rico em intriga, drama e romance, mantendo o espectador ansioso por mais a cada episódio. Além disso, o figurino é deslumbrante e contribui para a ambientação histórica do drama.

No entanto, apesar de todos esses aspectos impressionantes, "Legend of the Phoenix" não conseguiu me cativar profundamente a ponto de ser minha favorita. Essa avaliação é inteiramente baseada em minhas próprias emoções e preferências pessoais. Enquanto reconheço a excelência técnica da série, sinto que falta algo que a conecte profundamente comigo, algo que vá além da perfeição técnica.

Embora "Legend of the Phoenix" esteja na categoria "Fantástica" por suas qualidades indiscutíveis, sinto que falta algo emocionalmente envolvente com a história em si. A conexão com os personagens é profunda, porém, para entrar nas minhas favoritas, procuro uma experiência que abrace intensamente tanto os personagens quanto a trama.

Portanto, recomendo totalmente "Legend of the Phoenix" para quem procura um drama de alta qualidade em termos técnicos, com ótima atuação, direção, enredo e figurino. É uma série que merece ser apreciada por sua excelência, mesmo que não tenha se tornado minha favorita pessoalmente.

Lire davantage

wasted lead

Story/Directing: The most disappointing factor of this drama is the very weak script writing and keeping the entertainment. There are way too many bugs and loop holes, which couldn't be explained and even making a hardcore historical drama fan unable to hold it anymore.

Cast: To me the cast was average even though I knew that the male lead had so much potential. Jeremy Xu shined so much during the Legend of Dugu, here you can see that you should rather play in a good production as a side character than the male in a under average one imo. The other cast were doing their job, but I couldn't feel the captivation.

Overall: Got some potential with the male lead, but it was pretty much an underaverage drama with annoying script writing to me.

Lire davantage

Slow-paced but the twist and turns will leave a deep impression!

Ngl, this took me longer to finish as first episode's so slow-paced and boring. Therefore, one may need to have more patience w/ the earlier episodes so that u can enjoy the later ones. Drama is very heavy on the politics, and light in romance, yet it has a heart touching love story between ill fated couples.
*Characters- all were highly complex. The Emperor, Consort Min---
But what intrigues me the most is the Empress and Lang Kun's story!
*Production - costumes, ost and make-up is good
This is undeniably a good drama and the twist and turns will leave a deep impression.

Lire davantage

So-so, but was hoping for better!

When it comes to Chinese historical/period dramas I like to give my review 10 episodes at a time, because they tend to be 40+ episodes long, and I don't want to forget my thoughts about the drama when I finally reach to the last episode.

Review for episodes 1-10
•This drama had little to no character development in the first episode, and it didn't captivate me because the pacing was way too fast. When I watch historical/period dramas, if there's romance, I like for it to be realistic, and to also have a good ongoing development between both characters. I didn't know until almost episode 3 that in episode 1, the female lead character "fell in love at first sight," it was not obvious to me, it came off as bad writing/script.
•Originally, I did not like the dubbed voice for the female character in this drama, although it's the same dubbed voice that I've heard in a lot of other dramas. I think it could have something to do with the body movement of the female lead actress. IDK.
•I like the storyline, but thus far the execution is a bit sloppy and rushed.
•In episode 2 at the 30:00-33:00 minute mark the leads joke about rape. I'm not sure if I will continue after this episode.
•Towards the end of episode 2 I start to like the female lead character. If you reason that she's probably 15 years old, and not a modern day 15 year old but a 15 year old living during ancient times (w/o technology and social media), then you would understand her behavior. Additionally, there's an intentional playfulness/humor in this drama that eventually I caught onto, but I wish they made it more obvious because at first I just thought it was bad acting. For example episode 2 at the 40-43 minute mark. I nearly spit the oatmeal that I was eating, out of my mouth due to laughing so much LOL.

I DECIDED TO DROP THIS WHILE WATCHING EPISODE 7

Lire davantage

Another one bites the dust

What is it with Chinese dramas and female leads who can’t think their way out of a paper bag. Like, who on earth would fall for an airhead, immature heroine who isn’t even that pretty? As much as I detest the viciousness of some Korean palace dramas at least they give me us beautiful female leads, striking male leads, and a tightly paced story. All that to say there are way too many issues with this drama that I must have rolled my eyes a hundred times.

Additionally, the ML and FL had no chemistry and I couldn't understand what made the FL fall in love with the hero at first sight. I mean, their interactions were painful to watch.

Lire davantage