Lost in the Kunlun Mountains (2022)

A lot of good characters (and plot holes)

I'd say this drama is a solid 7, but the cast was acting so well that I have to put a higher score. Anyway, whenever I watch behind the scenes of these series and see how much time and effort goes into each episode, it becomes even more precious. That being said, the plot is lacking in many aspects and the ending flopped so hard that it was just disappointing to watch.

○Male characters○

I have to say that most of the characters are amazing. XuKai played Ding Yunqi, a very reserved and witty young man, good both in martial arts and strategy. For some episodes, his rival was Luo Yunsong, an equally smart police guy bound to catch whoever killed his family to take revenge. Whenever these two characters interacted it was a feast for the eyes and the brain. Their respectful brotherly relationship is one of the things that saved the series for me. They went from rivals to good friends/brothers and it was a very natural development - I was rooting for them, unlike for the female lead:)) Sun Sanxuan, a sect leader and Yunqi's friend, was also amazing. HeBiao, who worked for LuoYunsong, often stole the scene due to good looks and great character - his devotion was pure and beautiful in many ways. SanJin, the cook and Yunqi's helper, was cute and always brought some light and fun to the scenes.

○Female characters○

It was a pity to see close to no chemistry between Yunqi and Wu Shuang. Even for a childhood crush, their relationship didn't have enough backstory for me. As they met, the girl immediately started talking about getting married as that was the only way she could leave the sect and lead a normal life. I was like, okay girl, good for you, but he has no obligation to save you. True, a sect like that would be almost impossible to quit, especially given her upbringing and that she was the favorite student of Shifu, but that marriage demand set a bad tone for me right from the beginning and wasn't cute at all. Her character was also acting stupid a lot of times and she wasn't the cutesy type that could be forgiven for acting childish and irresponsible - usually, it was just frustrating. The same goes for the second female lead Chu Fengling. She went from a respectful, smart, and educated young lady to a power-hungry monster in a matter of a few episodes and it was a pity to watch. She was the most irritating character and I wish they had written her differently because the actress, who played her, did a great job. Cui Yanzhi, one of the sect leaders, was one of the few adequate female characters in the series - she was cunning, but devoted and always thought about the bigger picture, just like Yunqi and Luo Yunsong.

○Plot○

All in all, the plot wasn't bad and I loved the adventurous feel of it. Visually it was very pleasing and all the riddles they had to solve were pretty cool - they could have added more and made it more of a tomb-rider-style quest, but I was still content with the overall atmosphere. The cringe-worthy brother of Luo Yunsong didn't do much for me - he was a bit of a comedic relief, but his love for the FL and the whole story just seemed unnecessary to the plot. Although, I have to admit the actor did a great job portraying him. The Shifu was also a great character, as were all male and female supporting roles. The plot was just lacking consistency, and the romantic relationship of the main couple seemed a bit forced to me (but I still enjoyed it, mostly due to XuKai's impeccable acting). The bad guys of the series were quite decent, I won't give any spoilers, but it worked.

So, don't expect much from the series and you won't be disappointed, Definitely watch it if you're a fan of XuKai, but even if you're not, the plot and other great characters are worth it to at least give this cdrama a try. I don't regret watching it, but I used fast-forward quite a lot:)

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