Cang Lan Jue (2022)

Taming the heartless Devil God | Love can soften even the ruthless and coldest Hearts.

Honestly speaking, after I completed this drama, various thoughts and opinion invaded my mind. I know this is going to be controversial but two of them are "How the heck is this the biggest Xianxia of 2022?" and "Is this really the best they've produced last year?" and even before anyone get offended, please let me explain why I feel and think this way.

First, the introduction, pacing, story progression are fine—great even! However, the story itself specifically the plot seemed plain to me. I'm not saying it's bad but I kind of have high expectations for this drama being 'The best' of its peers last year (2022) and yet all we've gotten is a story which has scant thrill, climatic vibe and feel to it. I also wasn't hoping for an extremely complex narrative but wouldn't it be great if this has that mind-blowing and unpredictable sense to it? Something that can make you feel frustrated from guessing the future events and either get disappointed or satisfied at the end once the mysteries unfolds? I think what this drama is truly lacking/short of are the exciting and impactful climax and ending.

Second, Climax and Ending. This is when my uncertainty then later on dissatisfaction has truly kicked in. I expected the war to be an all out showdown of strength and power between the most powerful races of the story but for some reason they chose to shortened all those scenes and ended up focusing on the more dramatic side of the story. I mean, I get that the FL has to finally step up for the story to move forward, however, I feel like even that part wasn't executed good enough. I am displeased by the fact that they never gave us any decent battle at all. That's a supposed epic battle turned into a dust!! When it comes to the ending, all I can say is that they played it safe way too much. It was genuinely 'plain' period—Almost uneventful per se. The typical happy ending for everyone... Which is why I find it even more ridiculous and unbelievable that this was considered as most sought out drama of the year. Well, I guess, simplicity is truly the ultimate sophistication. Lol!

Moving forward... Something I found fascinating is the duality of the Main Leads. I know that exchanging bodies is not a new concept but for some definite reason, it helped this drama to define both of the characters and make them even more unique and interesting. Another big factor that made it happen is actually the Leads versatility and passion to their profession. The two of them did a great job executing 2 different personalities and it feels nice to see two individuals with contrasting aura and vibe build this perfect synergy and chemistry.

In terms of CGI, Color grading, Costume and Design, I would say that the production, styling and editing team are on the same page and has a clear communication on how they want the drama's overall visual and effects to look like. The only concern I have is with the ML and 2nd MLs battle costume. Damn! Those outfits looks heavy, disruptive and uncomfortable overall.

Lastly, I love that the progress of their love story didn't happen in a single day. Because love at first sight can get really irritating sometimes.

Story - 9.5, It was executed well but is lacking when it comes to proper utilization of hype and climatic scenes. Story flow and direction is really good, it's just that the way they played it safe by not adding any major plot twists kind of made this plain/bland for me. Nonetheless, this drama is still really good and very easy to watch.

Acting/Cast - 9.5, I got no beef with the set of Actors/Actresses in this drama. However, I Just have to address on how awkward some of their scenes are when they tried to act it out. I know a scene if it's meant to be funny or not and I can clearly say that the way they deliver some scenes/lines aren't as polished as they want it to be. Like it's not the best and they can still surely do better but since the Director said "it's okay" so they just settled with it... I got that feeling multiple times for this production and they're mostly from the supporting actors/actresses.

Music - 10, Okay, I will give credit to where it's due. The music and sound team did an amazing job in bringing out the emotions, life and vitality of the scenes for this drama. The OSTs played for each and every scene perfectly matched the vibe of the events it's used for and it truly elevated the mood every single time as well.

Rewatch Value - 9.5, I would still re-watch this honestly. Like I mentioned above, this is such an easy to watch drama and the only reason why I have those feedbacks is because I expected a lot more from this story but was instead provided with a 'bare minimum'. Like they can still give more but since it's 'good enough' so they just settled with it.

Overall - 9.5, First of all, It was never my intention to provide negative feedback on this drama. I even have high expectations and anticipations for this show. However, I guess it's my own conciousness speaking for myself.... that I'm not satisfied yet and is still looking/asking for answers on why they did it that way given all the potential it has. Nevertheless, this is definitely a good one and would still recommend it to anyone who's planning to watch it.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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