Dongbo Xueying Land (2023)

A fresh and thrilling tale against demons.

To start with, the music (both modern and traditional, just like the drama itself), the costumes, the special effects and the fights, the landscapes and settings (the snowy territories especially, what a pleasure), the demons, I loved it. It was very similar to an anime but as a drama.

Speaking of the special effects, I was expecting anything but this, especially in view of the criticisms of this aspect? It looks even better than in the trailer. It's quality and I've clearly seen worse, forced criticism as usual... The fights were also superbly filmed and choreographed. Obviously, this isn't a drama with huge production value either, but I was fascinated most of the time. Xu Kai is way too cool and his mastery of the spear is impeccable, I can't even imagine how much he had to train.

The story isn't original, yet it's pure pleasure (and I've never seen that in a drama, so it's even cooler), it's always dynamic and I've never been bored. It's typically the kind of story I used to enjoy when I was younger, and frankly, it's refreshing. Some people thought it was cringe-worthy while it's just epic, too bad for them lol.

The drama delicately alternates between sweet moments, drama, action... The story developped very well and was very captivating to my taste. As you can imagine, the theme of evil demons versus good humans and the hero becoming all-powerful is far from complex. Nevertheless, I'm glad the drama brought a modicum of nuance. In addition, I loved the diversity of the characters.

Side notes:
- Overall it is not a drama high in emotions with amazing relationships and character development. It is pretty simple in every aspect. Indeed, it is far from an intelligent drama for a mature audience. Still a great and fun drama because it did what it was supposed to do perfectly.

I write this review because it is deserved and especially because there isn't any that really talks about it as it is, appreciating it for what it is and highlighting what's good about it, how, why and for who.

To the people who claim the romance is bad: Tension is not the only form of chemistry, romance doesn't have to be intense. Sometimes romance is a sweet and subtle thing that can be built upon. I even found it beautiful.

If everything about Snow Eagle Lord gets you hooked from the first episodes just like me, and not only Xu Kai, you will have a lot of fun and be able to enjoy the ride. Besides, we never really see him less as some people states here, maybe for a few little parts but it wasn't for no reason. He is, however, the character we see the most, and certainly the most important. Yes, there are a lot of characters. Unfortunately those people are forcing themselves to watch it for him and are not into the drama, so that's just another nonsensical statement.

Snow Eagle Lord, albeit underrated is now my first hit from this genre (having dropped/disliked the ones I tried even though they were popular and very appreciated) and I loved everything about it. I couldn't just sit down and watch it get so much hate. Thank you for reading me! I'm glad if my review helped and I'm even happier if it helps you finding your new gem.

P.S: A message to those relying on douban's ratings. Cnetizens are able to lower a drama's rating to a 2.7/10 by creating thousands of bots for the dumbest reasons, and trust me, they are horrible. Even MDL is much better in comparison.

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