Lost in the Kunlun Mountains (2022)

Had A Lot of Potential But Fell Incredibly Short

I was looking forward to seeing what this drama had to deliver because I like the tomb raiding, Republican era type of genre too and apart from Elaine Zhong and Wang Yang, I was completely unfamiliar with the cast. This, however, was a very disappointing series that shouldn't be marketed as a tomb raiding drama, but a romance/conspiracy one.

Pros: By far the best and favorite character was DYQ followed in close second by LYS. This drama was essentially theirs. I love how LYS went from a potential antagonist and constant thorn in DYQ's side to literally his big brother though not by blood. Just the two of them could have run this series together and it would have been way better then it was. Once LYS gets past his misunderstanding, their relationship as brothers in arms and brothers in general due to sect position, is a fantastic sight.

Other favorite characters were He Biao, Yanzhi (who needed a way better ending then just being left behind in Shanghai), the kid cook, brother San (who honestly really needed to take notes because of how much he didn't understand lol), as well as everyone from all other sects that always showed up to help DYQ. Shady Shifu was a great antagonist as he literally hid under their noses the entire time, even if the audience figured him out long ago. When it came to production, Republican era is always gorgeous and this was no different, the sets and costumes were stunning. The martial arts aspect was pretty good though I wish more of it was shown.

Cons: Where to begin? This series had probably one of the messiest plots I've seen in a while. Usually, c-dramas at least have a strong start but this series spent the first 11 episodes chasing after an artifact and talking in circles about a supposed engagement attached to said artifact. Kunlun mountains were nonexistent and barely mentioned at the time. Everything was about the dragon bone, it was boring. The dragon bone ended up not being much of anything even remotely useful in the end.

Why I didn't put WS' character in the pros because it was very hard to like her. She spent those 11 episodes essentially pouting and whining about why DYQ didn't acknowledge an engagement he never agreed to. Her character growth happened suddenly and without warning when somewhere in episode 21 DYQ took whatever LSD she was smoking and confessed his love and they got married shortly thereafter. It was so fast and unbelievable that it felt like a whiplash. Sure, he showed some signs of having a small crush on her but not full blown "I love you". I did like her evolution more or less around the time they got married but still felt there was little believable chemistry between her and DYQ. Like we were supposed to like them together because they were the leads not because they had any actual chemistry and that just didn't jive.

Another thing that was poorly done, was that the weasel or brother of LYS and Fengling, got more screen time then DYQ did for probably the first 15 episodes and he was truly a useless character even before he went to work for her Ladyship (a mysterious and powerful figure whom never appeared save for her hand and chin; an unnecessary trope and considering how often her name came up, they should have revealed who she was). All of his screen time, I ffw'd in the beginning of the series; I couldn't handle him on screen. This freak of nature had an obsession with WS that went beyond the norm and even after the near sexual assault after drugging her, they were still able to talk later on in the series and he was able to send her off to get married. When he was finally officially killed off, instead of telling the gang a vital piece of info he saw, he ended it by rambling to WS about being in the next life with her. The lack-brain plot and gimmicks are inconceivable to me. Lord, please make it make sense.

Fengling was just an absolute loss of a character, started out sweet and caring and in a flip of a switch turned into an obsessed woman delusional over DYQ and absolutely power hungry and murderous while throwing adult sized tantrums when she didn't get her way. I expected her to meet her end at some point but that would have been hard, so production literally gave her a 5 minute redemption in the second to last episode. It was laughable and just beyond stupid.

Commander Fat Ass was as useless of a character as Her Ladyship, there was no reason to even have him there. Just to have as an evil filler like the weasel's stuttering friend. Literally nothing about this had anything to do with tomb raiding but just uncovering lies and conspiracies. It should be renamed to something like "Kunlun Mountains Still Unknown" or "The Conspiracies of Penta-Sect" because the title has zilch to do with the series. The OSTs were absolutely inappropriate for wherever they appeared; at least one belonged in a modern drama while the other sounded more like a lullaby.

Also the ending was beyond rushed and never explained how DYQ ultimately escaped from the collapsing ancestral hall. One minute everything is collapsing and soldiers are getting killed by flying boulders, the next minute we are brought to a "Western Clinic" without any warning of how much time has passed because there's an obvious time jump; DYQ and WS are running a clinic where he's a doctor, there's a picture of Fengling and a very much upright He Biao on DYQ's desk and kid cook looking all grown up runs in with a letter and picture of LYS and Brother San who are in the army fighting someone. It all came together like kindergarten macaroni art. I think DYQ figured out that star map thing in those final moments of the collapse scene because he went from sad smile to happy smile before it panned to the clinic.

I'm not sure it's editing, review board, or what is to blame for this series just appearing like a botched Frankenstein project but that's what it essentially was. Had a lot of potential but fell incredibly short.

Would I recommend it? No, I would not. Unless you are a fan of any of the actors, this is too much of a mess no matter how beautiful production itself is. Don't give yourself a headache unless you're incredibly bored.

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