The Killing of Three Thousand Crows (2020)

Girls don't need to trouble themselves with family or country's revenge and hatred.

It feels like you get beaten over the head with this line all the way through the first part of the show. I don't like the sentiment that we shouldn't seek justice for our families or our people just because we should live and let go. I especially don't like the narrative that because we are women we shouldn't go for that and instead should shove our morals and integrity aside and just consider having a fun and chill life with someone. Because if we do try to follow our own path, moral code, values, love and respect for our family and fellow countrymen, the show scriptwriter will make sure to beat us with the idea that revenge is bad and women can't do anything and need to be saved all the time. I wish I was joking with this statement, but then again I have seen this whole thing in its entirety. The amount of times the female lead goes about her plans completely recklessly and then needs to be rescued exceeds the amount of patience I had to watch it happen.

If I squint, it might be forgivable that she doesn't use her brain if that is just a part of her personality but the problem is, she lacks having any in the first place. In fact, the first actress that appears as the female lead has portrayed a completely different person from the second actress which made the transition between the two so jarring and questionable over the course of the rest of the show. I tend to like Zhao Lusi's acting but I have felt the very lack of it in numerous serious scenes that could have been done better. It often left me with a weird feeling of what the show wants us, as the viewers, to consider it to be. The comedy sure is there but with such a grim starting point, I have found it quite weird to swallow after the first episode.

Now here comes the biggest problem in the whole show, which is the plotline and its arrangement which most of the time doesn't make any sense. We start off with a big event, then there is a whole load of nothing but creepy behavior from the male lead upon his very disinterested female lead. Then there is this idea that the female lead should feel sorry for something she has done to the second male lead as if we didn't see the shitfest that happened in episode one. Why? Just for the sake of tying in the romantic aspect of the story while the female lead herself has absolutely zero interest in any of that. It comes off as so ingenuine and cheap that I wasn't sure what I was even watching.

All of that gets somewhat rectified in the second part of the drama where the plot starts unwinding at a rapid pace. There the romance and love scenes between the leads truly flourish and were enjoyable to watch. That is if I understood where such big romance came from in the first place. From the male lead, we understand that there is a big obsession due to plot exposition but when it comes to the female lead and her abrupt flip in feelings towards him, the transition makes zero sense.

The secondary couple suffers even more, as their scenes are boring and we are not given an explanation why the second male lead likes the second female lead; it just sort of happens as if it was there the whole time, even though she had nothing likable to him in the first place. I think there is a pattern here when it comes to shoddy romance writing.

The villain couldn't have been more cartoonishly evil so they made sure to give them the super evil-themed villain laugh as well. I guess if you gotta go the whole way, you just gotta.

The supporting cast besides the second couple I have found more enjoyable to watch, but sadly just like everyone else in this story, they never get any character growth. I understand the show writers; if you can't even make your own main character bearable to watch in terms of basic intelligence and logical reasoning or your main selling point (romance) believable, then fleshing out other characters would be a really difficult task to do.

The only thing I liked and never skipped in this drama was definitely the OST, as the song is bittersweet and tells of a story better than the one we got in the end.

When it comes to the ending, as you would expect after this essay of a review, of course, it's been stamped with the Chinese drama endings seal of approval. I honestly don't find it to be bad, albeit extremely confusing unless you have read the book or you have your fun at theorizing what did the writer want to say. Speaking of the book, I think the majority of the issues with the drama version could have been avoided if they revamped the order of the plot and added more backstory to the main characters. It would have helped to build upon that connection that they have shown later on in the show, as well as this great love of the male lead who has silently watched the woman he adores from afar for many years. Hey, Guardian has done it well, they could have too. Even if it meant extending the show length to another ten to twenty episodes.

All in all, I expected more and so should you.

Lire davantage

2nd watch a year later made it better for me

Watched this over a year ago and receny completed watching it again. It may have been my liberal use of the fast forward button before that made me understand and enjoy this series this time around.

I was so confused the first time i watched this causing depletion of my interest that itched for that fast forward button. I can now say the reason is the switched of the leading character wasnt done smoothly. The transition could have been done better.

Zhao Lusi did improve in her transition acting since this series. She is awesome in fun, comedic and quirky roles but in this series, I believe she was still on the learning phase for transitioning role from comedy to serious character role. Her acting nowadays is way, way better than from this series. She excels in smoothly transitioning roles.

Production wise, it is obvious the set, wardrobe and props were invested on heavily. I wish they took parts of it to invest more on editing.

The story plot is challenging and truly could have been a great one.

Rewatch value, like I mentioned here, I am doing this review after rewatching it over a year later. I honestly like this series more now than the first time I watched it. So my recommendation is reserving judgment after watching it the second time. Giving it a bit of time can make a difference based on my own experience.

All casts in this series were awesome and seemed to have portrayed their role well. It is interesting that I even noticed the acting of couple of extras who didnt have a line - just a facial expression.

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I picked this drama because of Zheng Yecheng as Fu Jiuyun - and he didn't disappoint in the slightest. There's something about his acting that makes everything he does on-screen feel natural. And as much as I'm usually not into alpha males, there's just something so very... sensual about him asserting his dominance that it makes my heart go all doki-doki.

I wasn't always on board with what Qin Chuan was doing, oftentimes I didn't like it, but I understood where she was coming from and I did appreciate her tenacity, her determination to avenge her people and then her helplessness when she realized that her people didn't want any revenge, they just wanted to move on and live peacefully if at all possible, that her efforts weren't really needed/appreciated because her people needed her to help them rebuild, not run around, playing avengers.

My favorite relationship in this drama was the friendship between Fu Jiuyun and his immortal friend Mei Shanjun. He was Fu Jiuyun's best friend, his confidante, his healer, his ride-or-die. And it was glorious.

There were several moments that made me cry really hard:

- When Xiao Bai, Fu Jiuyun's mirror, sacrificed himself to save him and Qin Chuan and Fu Jiuyun kept it from Qin Chuan, telling her instead that Xiao Bai was just sleeping, sleeping peacefully, and they shouldn't wake him up.
- When Xuan Zhu sacrificed herself. I didn't like her. Actually, I pretty much hated her throughout the drama but I did understand her feeling inadequate, always not good enough, always lost in Qin Chuan's shadow. Her death was really sad.
- When the Spirit Lamp was lit and Mei Shanjun realized that it meant that Fu Jiuyun was about to die. The way he turned away from the lamp and so very slowly looked at Fu Jiuyun who was already starting to disappear, turning into ash as he was burning up. And then, when the lamp was extinguished, the way Mei Shanjun screamed Fu Jiuyun's name.
- When Fu Jiuyun died, turning into these motes of light bit by bit while ignoring the pain of burning alive to watch Qin Chuan sleep for the last time.
- When Qin Chuan realized that Mei Shanjun lied to her and Fu Jiuyun wasn't coming back, that Mei Shanjun only relegated Fu Jiuyun's "dying message" to her, asking her to wait for Fu Jiuyun's return, to force her to live because it was what Fu Jiuyun would've wanted, for her to live.

What I really loved was that Qin Chuan's and Mei Shanjun's grief for Fu Jiuyun was treated as equal. Mei Shanjun cried as much and was devastated as much by Fu Jiuyun's death as Qin Chuan. A friend's grief wasn't treated here as something less.

The ending though was rather confusing and I had to look up what it actually meant in the explanation of someone who read the book. It was rather... head-tilting. I guess they counted on everyone knowing the book?

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Just average for me

I honestly started watching this series because of Zhao LuSi and I really watched majority of her shows - except movies so far. However, sadly I have to say.... this is one of the series I am not really fond of nor found the energy to go through a 2nd time. I wouldn't say her acting is stiff or bad in this series - like some of the comments / reviews left for this series. But I feel that it is kinda lacking of something. Firstly, I had a slight confusion moment at the starting of the series because LuSi wasn't playing the princess from the get go. I had to pause, re-read the synopsis a couple of times to better understand the series and then continue watching.

However, I (personally) find that this series is too much jumping here and there, too much petty fights etc. The "2nd female lead" or also known as LuSi's cousin in this series is abit too much with her insecurity"ness" and her "I need to be better than everyone especially the main female lead then only I am happy" attitude. The chemistry between LuSi and Zheng Ye Cheng (the male lead) is somewhat stale and not "sparkly" like many of LuSi's other series. There are many sweet moments or funny moments throughout the series that helps brighten the mood but I feel the negative parts are just too overwhelming. Although the lack of interest for the series, I have to say that all of the casts did a good job making this series become a reality.

I, personally, will not fully recommend this series... unless you have read and take a liking to the synopsis of this series yourself. But the music / soundtrack paired for this series is amazing. I really love the songs in this show! <3

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Not that horrible of an ending

Though there are many people dissatisfied with the story, I enjoyed it. The acting and chemistry between the mains was there desite the censoring. As I watch the ending, I think it's clear the ending is showing a reincarnated life. The drunken sage told her jiuyun has to regather his soul to return, he just didn't mention that it would take many of her lifetimes if he was strong enough to do so. The next scenes show the rebuilding of Li, and her taking the lantern back after giving it her spirit energy. It then jumps to a seemingly same old Li except for some important changes, such as the young princess has memories of Jiuyan, she still has her changed face, her cousin is her sister, and her buddy Cui is back as her maid! No sign of her original form. With the title, along with her crying over losing memories of him, makes me feel this is scenes from a reincarnation a thousand years later, showing that eventually he does return and they are all reunited. The old painting was a surprise from the drunken sage of course. Jiuyun once told her he used it as a place to gather his spirit energy when weak, so once he gathered enough of his soul together, he went into his painting, slowly growing strong enough to return to her. I aso think both he and his buddy knew it would take many lifetimes before he could return, hence the little sparkles of energy flowing into her head before he disappeared was him ensuring she would remember him in the lifetime he was able to return.

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I don’t hate it but I don’t love it

Nothing wrong with the acting, the leads are great, supporting cast did their thing. The story or perhaps the execution, Mehhh!

I just really couldn’t get into the story. Lots of unnecessary things going on or a few episodes could of been condensed into one. It felt drawn out and stale. I’m a Lusi fan so I felt inclined to finish it even though I was struggling to keep interested. I ended up skipping episodes and just jumped to 29 and 30. I even skipped the romantic scenes. That’s how frustrated and disinterested I became.

With that said,. This series could be your cup of tea. It just wasn’t mine. But give it a go, maybe 5 episodes and see if it’s for you.

Lire davantage

Drama with beautiful OST.

This drama is really beautiful and full of magic. The shot, espicially until the first 10 episodes (imo) are lovely and i feel like watching movie. The color and setting, also CGI don’t bother me much from enjoying the drama.

The selling point of the drama is absolutely ZYC (male lead). Something about his acting really make me fell for his charm and he can carry off of different type of characters to live (as Hao Mei in love2o2, Xue Yao in sleepless princess). He is not just pretty face, but he can act. Also, he has a deep and low voice that i as a viewer, really love (first heard in sleepless princess, wonder who the voice actor is and suprised when knowing that it is his own voice :)). I wish he can involve in a bigger project and still maintain his humble personality. Wish you all the success!

But, unfortunately this drama is suffering from its storytelling. Sometimes, it’s confusing if you don’t know the whole story from the original novel. Also, there’s too much screetime for the supporting characters that makes the leads don’t have much time to really develop their characterization and get understanding from the audience (some viewers see FJY for being creepy T_T).

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I love Zhao Lusi and a big fan. She was excellent in her acting skills. The story didn’t amuse me and get my attention. I saw the trailer and was excited but it turns out the opposite. Story line was a little boring and little action. I was dropping in and out the entire drama. However, because of Lusi, I managed to finish the entire drama. The ending wasn’t quite what I expect, wish it was more happier and simple. I like the love side of the story, though-sincere, truthfully sacrifice, typical love story. The costumes mirror Korean mix Japanese styles. Love the music... I enjoyed Love is better than immortal more than this. I don’t think watching a second time is worth the effort.

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Before I go into the review of this series. I have to absolutely express my frustration and irritation towards the directors or those people who pick the casts. Whoever thought it was a bright idea to change the initial female lead did not do the show any favor. Rosy Zhao is a great actress but seriously. For the cast change simply to have a familiar face (maybe for publicity) I can’t give it a perfect rating especially since I feel the first actress would have been a better fit. So far Rosy Zhao has been in mostly romantic comedies. Her acting is sweet and unique but I don’t feel she was not suited for this.
They change the initial female lead due to script saying she change her appearance. First of all, there are so many shows that have characters change their appearance but actually keep their same face.
Our initial female lead is clearly a new young actress but appears to be a superb actress who did an amazing job portraying herself as a princess in every aspect. Her demeanor, appearance, character, communication and expression were flawless. I know whatever she stars in she’ll be great. .

Now to the review:
The show starts out at a really decent pace. Episode one was full of mystery and action but by episode two things somewhat slow down quite a bit and it becomes somewhat slow. What I like most so far about this series is that it appears to be about loyalty, and friendship and love. The character development was good.
WhatI did not like about the series is that at times it can be a bit slow and sometimes the male lead was just too suggestive. Fights scenes were unimpressive. The ending was cliff hanger and didn’t make sense.

If you’re looking for romantic comedy this is not it.
if you were looking for a historical drama you may like this one.
If you’re looking for a happily ever after you may not want to watch it although it is not awful.
If you’re looking for something overly romantic I don’t know what to tell you.

Overall decent show. Not a rewatch for me though.

Lire davantage

How To Sabotage A Wonderful Story

Story is more important than casting, CGI, acting, setting, or directing

This original story was special, unique, fantastical, and everything I would want in a Chinese fantasy costume drama. It had a bit of everything, comedy, tragedy, romance, fantasy, adventure. It had the potential to be the best Xanxia drama ever made. Unfortunately, some choices were made that really spoiled things.

Firstly, the FL started off strong and looked every inch like the beautiful and capable princess FL we all hope for when watching a costume drama, only to be literally AND figuratively defaced by Zhao Lu Si. Zhao Lu Si being an actress that either has no desire to embody any character that isn't a comic one, or she just doesn't have the skill to be a serious actress. Either way, the FL went from being a cultured, beautiful, intelligent and complex princess character, to being a reckless and overexaggerated character for the sake of comic relief. The ML, Zheng Ye Chen, is perfectly cast here, however, the director pretty much ruined his character for us, as in one scene he is seen full-on groping the FL, and she barely even knows who he is! He sexually harrasses her like a perverted creep, even using other female attention in order to gain the FL's attention. I don't know in what universe the screenwriters or directors thought this was OK, but it isn't!

The rest of the series is basically the FL being a rash idiot, and the ML has to come bail her out if every situation because she is too stupid to work with him instead of against him.

Also of note, is one of the secondary characters said something the Chinese government didn't like, so they had to replace that actress's face with a superimposed face of another actress using horrific CGI.

Truly, it's a so sad that such a great storyline had to be ruined by bad scriftwriting, CGI, and casting of the FL, but it's all really a reflection of the industry. A place where not very attractive actresses get cast out of popularity alone, sexual harrassment is written into a script for absolutely no reason, and an actress becomes a political victim and gets replaced through bad CGI. It's all in there.

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Long review with details and my rants ahead. Do not judge.

I want to begin by saying how eager i was to watch this drama but it wasnt available anywhere. Only recently has it been released on viki so i am finally able to watch it. I just had to vent my anger after watching till 20 else I'd have waited till finishing it to give the review.

Characters and acting: Not gonna lie, for me Zheng Yecheng carried the entirety of the drama like i watched it just for him. He was way too sweet, charming, loyal and devoted and selfless. And i think he deserved a better lover than the princess. I've seen 3 of Zhao Lusi's dramas, and tbh i like her, but she is not a good choice for these serious tragic characters, i felt like she didn't fit the role of Qin Chuan well. She was so busy portraying her anger and sadness that i couldn't see any chemistry with the ml. The original princess was better for the role i guess.
To me the most pitiful character remained Fu Jiuyun throughout, it's like nothing he does is ever enough. Imagine loving someone for thousand years, witnessing her death through ten lifetimes and then when you finally come close to her you end up dying for her without even getting her(well this is something that i found for myself when i read the reviews.)
Zichen was straight out annoying. Ermeng was a complex but good character. Liyuan was despicable. Meishan and Xiaobai were fun to watch. Xuanzhu remained the same selfish and greedy princess throughout.

Story: Idk if its because i spoiled the drama for me by reading reviews beforehand or it's because of the story itself but the drama couldn't keep me invested or addicted. It started off so well with everything. But as the story progressed, i couldn't see minimal love in the FL for the ML. She was like still in love with Zichen idk why i felt so. I kept feeling that she just abused MLs love for her by taking him for granted and rejecting him everytime. She was too cruel to him. The ML was so good to her like i can't even explain in words. The story is so much about the FLs revenge motive that the FLs love for the ML can't even be seen. In the last 5 episodes she was suddenly in love with him but they never showed how and when she started loving him. I admit that with all the constant love and care from him anyone would fall for him but they should have shown a little more of that part. She is like all about fighting her own fate and revenge and pushing the people that love her away. I haven't read the original novel so i don't know how it goes, but i heard that it is a lot more detailed with a happy ending but don't expect all that from the drama. I don't know how exactly it is in the novel but in the drama it's all there is. A lot of parts were abrupt while some parts felt draggy because of the 2nd couple and the FLs constant anger and indifference.

Music: The music is truly so beautiful and soothing. I loved the music.
From what I read from other reviews, there was a lot of key information missing and a confusing ending and dramatic modifications from the original story. The script could've done a better job at explaining the backstory of the ML instead of wasting scenes on the 2nd couple. Overall once i am done with this drama, I'm not gonna rewatch it because I'm already preparing myself for a heartbreak at its end. But I'm going to finish it till 30. Might change my review after i finish it.



P.s i have finished it now and my opinions didn't drastically change, instead i am left confused about what exactly happened in the last episode.

Lire davantage

Very typical Zhao Lusi

To give credit to this drama, I really did enjoy it... after I filled in all the holes.
It's a good story but has too many things unexplained. Things just happen without reason just to make the story move forward.
The cast and acting was pretty good too. I would have enjoyed Zhao Lusi more if she departed from her typical character. Granted, she is a good actress, but this drama did not call for a silly FL; so it would have been better if she left behind the silliness that characterized her in all her previous dramas. The ML was ok good, not superb.
It was fun, but I would not rewatch it.

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