Not bad, but not that good as well.

This drama had immense potential and unfortunately it didn't utilize all or even most of it.
The story is fundamentally great and so is the acting, especially from Kim Young Dae. But in my opinion the directing and screenwriting are where this drama is lacking, had these two things been better, this could have easily been an unforgettable experience for the viewers. Instead, now it's just an average one.
I honestly wish the review's ratings had a 《Directing》category so we could rate that as well. Had that existed, my ending score for this drama would have been different. I honestly don't want to give a lower score to any of the other categories, as they were quite good. But the directing is just not doing it here for me. I'm a bit disappointed... Maybe it's because I had way too high expectations for this (I legitimately couldn'twait to watch this. I was super excited since I learnedit was being produced). It's not bad, I simply expected way more, like something with more mysterious or dark vibes, something to blow my away like Goblin did, also something with better special effects...
I ended up skipping a lot of scenes because of my boredom or frustration.
If anyone asked me about my thoughts on this, then I'd have to say: All in all not bad, but not that good as well.

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Gotta be honest, I can't bring myself to 100% ship A Yin with the ML.I just feel that she is way too good for him.
He literally killed her by mistake in the beginning?. And ever since he's gotten her in so much trouble (e.g. he gave that damned peacock the umbrella artifact and ended up putting both his and A Yin's lives in danger- she ended up habing to heal him by sacrificing a part of her lifespan). Also by the looks of the trailers even up to episode 24 he is the same. He literally told her that he regretted to have met her in the trailer like- ?. I do not care under what circumstances he was. I wouldn't be able to find anyone desirable after all of that.
I would very much prefer Feng Yin to return like the QUEEN that she is and pay ZERO attention to him. She's better off ending up with Hong Yi or even on her own at this point.?.

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Lacking

Unfortunately there was no chemistry between the leads which is literally the single most important thing in a romcom (obviously there are others as well but this is extremely important).

Also the directing and screenwriting felt somehow off, even though the plot seemed interesting.

It saddens me, as I am a fan of both of them, but despite the main leads usually being magnificent actors, this time it felt like they failed to properly portray and embody their characters. I personally believe that what really matters in a series/film is for it to be enjoyable or memorable or generally to evoke something inside the audience (be it happiness, saddennes, or whatever the director, writer and cast is trying to portray). Whats the use of having a great and very popular cast, if firstly there is simply 0 chemistry between them and secondly the directing and screenwriting is awful.? With better directing and screenwriting it would have definitely been better. But to be completely honest and fair, the main leads' extreme lack of chemistry is a huge problem. Seriously, they should've done something about this. I am saying this as a fan of both Bai Lu and Dylan Wang. Since it's not working out there's no need to force it. There is literally a plethora of other actors who could've filled either of the spots, most of which might not be as popular, but possess equally good acting skills . I much rather watch a good series with actors whom I don't know, rather than a mediocre one with my favorites in it. It literally does more harm than good to the cast's, writer's and director's reputation.

All I have to say is that I am disappointed. It's not like the drama is uwatchable. It's just that the expectations were way too high and they were not met. I'm on ep 21 and the drama might get better, but it still does not change the fact that up until now, it has been kind of a let down. What saddens me even more is that I've read the book and even though I found it kind of tiring at times (as I'm quite particular with slice of life plots, I either like them very much or I find them very boring, depending on how they are played out) I enjoyed it and was excited when I learned that this was its adaption. I like the base plot but its development and pace here were draggy and tiring. The 2nd couple (the fl's bff with the ML's friend) had way more chemistry even though they had a messy love story.

It's also worth to be mentioned that Bai Lu is simply gorgeous (the entire cast was filled with visuals), but I personally believe the stylist- makeup artist didn't fully showcase her beauty. I get that the FL's style was supposed to be on the simpler side, but they could've at least used some more eyeshadow or eyeliner idk just something especially when she was supposed to be going on a date. Also half the time (if not all the time) she was wearing oversized blazzers. Which again is not bad, I actually find it quite stylish and pretty, but she could've had a change and wore something slightly different at times.

IDK hopefully this gets better ? I'll come back to update my review when I finish it.

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Timeless masterpiece

I seriously loved this.
I'm usually prone to scene skipping if I find a drama predictable or boring, but this drama OMG! I loved every bit of it! I was completely hooked.
I LOVED the "old" drama vibes I got from it so much. Adored how the director paid attention to the little details (like the makeup and the girl's painted nails). I really liked the filters that were used that made it look like a 2015 historical drama, seriously it was really suitable and I honestly really liked it.
The Fl's makeup should have a whole fandom on its own. It was simply magnificent. It looked soft, feminine and I really appreciate how it could easily be straight out of a reimagined period painting.
I personally really liked the plot and the ending. I consider it to be very fitting and the whole ordeal seems very poetic to me
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To me HRZ existed bc of the Fl's need to have someone whom she can completely trust, someone who will always do what she wants and who won't threaten her comfort zone, who'll never make her challenge herself and face her fears. So she created him in her head bc with him she can run away from everything she's really scared of, which is sincerely loving someone else , bc then she'll feel vulnerable as he'll be able to hurt her ( e.g. by betraying her or something). At the end she chose the real world and so she chose to bravely face evey challenge, which to me is the ultimate character development and I applaud it.
The cast's chemistry was amazing. Especially between the Fl and the ml. At numerous scenes I wanted to shout JUST KISS ALREADY. Just my personal opinion here but a kiss would make certain scenes shine even more. In many scenes you could literally see the poor ml fight for his life so as not to kiss her. Would love to see them in another drama together.
The chemistry between Fl and HRZ was really great as well. You could feel how comfortable she was around him. I kinda shipped them together but I prefer the FL-ML pairing more. I would love to see them in another drama together as well.

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"Your destiny hangs at the tip of your blade and the tip of your blade must always point forward."

Watched this in June 2022! And I have to say that it's one of the best dramas I've ever watched! I absolutely adored the entirety of the cast! From the main leads to the antagonists every actor was amazing!

About the female lead:
The female lead, Zhou Fei has grown to become one of my most favourite characters ever! Although in the beginning she seems a bit immature and she generally is quite stubborn I can't fathom how anyone would hate her. She's very kind-hearted, generous and just. She doesn't give up and is very hardworking. Although she becomes very skillful and super powerful, she still remains humble and kind! Honestly, I adored how knowledgeable she was in martial arts and how powerful and dedicated she was! Zhao Li Ying did a magnificent job in her performance!

About the male lead:
I really liked his playful attitude, his loyalty and his love to the fl. He seemed like a genuinely good and very friendly person. In todays terms I would call him the life of the party. He seems like a kind and funny person with whom I'd probably like to be friends with, if I could. Wang Yi Bo did an absolutely amazing job in his performance!

The chemistry of the main leads was praise-worthy! They seemed like a great match!

I PARTICULARLY enjoyed Hu Bing's performance as Li Zheng (Zhou Fei's grandfather). Whenever he was on screen I (and my mother) couldn't look away!
Also Geng Le was magnificent as Shen Tian Shu. I loved him in the Long Ballad and though I didn't love his character here, I absolutely loved his portrayal of the main antagonist. Some other performances I greatly enjoyed was that of Dong Xuan as Duan Jiu Niang, Zong Feng Yan as Zhou Yi Tang (Zhou Fei's father), Frankie Guo as
Mu Xiao Qiao (Phoenix Master) and Ruan Sheng as Wen Ji Yun Chen (North Blade). I can go on and on about how much I liked all of the actors but it'll take forever so I'll stop here.
All in all a great story with a great development and an amazing cast! I really recommend it and most probably will re-watch it in the future.

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