Oh where do I start... I really wanted to like this drama. I got into the productions schedules when I saw the leaks of the costuming. I have never saw styling done this way, especially with the male lead. The makeup and costuming is gorgeous. The art direction behind this drama is amazing, and unfortunately.. that is pretty much the best thing about this drama.

The writing is not good, it is very very lazy. In several instances the characters ask 'oh where is this guy'... 'why are we here'.. etc. Within a few minutes of Fan Yue's first appearance, the characters tell you exactly what he is. He is good looking- he is off putting.. I would have much rather they show it. The actors can only do so much when they have to spell out the plot every other line. It is just not realistic dialogue, and overall it limits what the actors can do here. It really is a shame, as the production value must have been insane for this.. but the direction and camera work is so horrible that this drama as a whole ends up looking shammy and cheap. The leaks were wonderful and I thought that the show would be more cinematic with unconventional directions style and camera work.. unfortunately whoever was behind the lens doesn't know what they are doing at all.

The directing is not good either. The first episode of this drama was one of the worst first episodes I have ever watched. I really liked the stop motion storytelling.. but again that is just the art direction. A drama is made up of many parts, and to be successful and pleasant they have to come together in harmony. The artistry is just dragging this drama the best it can, but the production team behind this lacks some sort of care. It feels cheap with the way the zoom ins happen with the demon characters, and doesn't look pleasant at all. The only bad thing about the art is that it isn't blending well together. Individually everything looks great, but together the costuming is a bit overwhelming. The makeup washed the FL up.. I am so sorry Bai Lu. She is a pretty girl, here I don't understand what the makeup is supposed to be doing for her other than making her look washed out.

The characters relationships are inorganic and are again just told to you. The character says he doesn't like this guy.. cut scene and that guy says why. I feel like I am being treated like a child and that the flashy and colors are just there to be stimulating visually. The sets are so over the top that I can't find myself being grounded in any part, they leave the whole world feeling congested. Like I know that the sets are made and the characters can't go elsewhere because anything organic isn't the set.. I understand it is xianxia, but have something grounded in reality please. I see the green screen and the keying and mats, I remember watching a trailer and thinking .. 'is this really it'. I thought in post production things would be cleaned up.. guess not.

So at least tell a captivating story. Here the story is generic and being spoon fed. The chemistry isn't effective because of the quality of the script, it feels forced. I've also seen a lot of physical violence between the leads and wonder how in the world I am supposed to actually want the two to be in a touching yet heartbreaking romance. The answer is I can't. The opening is beautiful.. but at some point I watch and think 'huh'. I think that they did in fact just show the best parts of the drama.. and every single episode I watch the first minute and then have some sort of shock moving onto the quality of the actual drama.

There is nothing for me to look forward to or to wonder about because the opening spoils it all. I wonder if this should've just been shoved into a corner and just show me the opening 40 times in a row and I'll understand that more than a whole duration. I don't think it's worth it to watch, I put on for flashy colors. I need to get through a bad drama to see if it has any resilience.. but this isn't looking good. I hate to beat a dead horse here but watch Blossom if you want quality, if you want Xianxia quality watch Ashes of Love.