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"No one knows me as well as you do" Bai Fengxi "I will not disappoint you either." Hei Fengxi
I loved it. It will definitely be one of my top favorites.The thing I loved about Bai-Hei Fengxi couple is their relationship. Going from knowing each other in their childhood, to knowing each other in the martial arts world, to falling in love and getting married at the end. Their whole relationship was so healthy in my own opinion. They didn't use each other in an evil way, they didn't have misunderstandings, they didn't cheat, sure they had their secrets but the end of the day they literally know each other I would say like the back of their hand. And let's not forget this man gave her ten li of floral sea when she arrived to where they were going to get married. He also kept his promise to his father-in-law, brother-in-law and their unofficial but official little brother Han Pu(I would say was their child and I will never forgive the writers.) Bai-Hei Fengxi are on par with each other.
One of Hei Fengxi lines I liked was "I belong in the court, you should roam the land freely." This man was willingly to let her go and not include her in his fight with the second queen and Feng Ju. If I remember correctly, there was a part where I think he was having a moment with Bai Fengxi which they were talking that all he knows is fighting in politics especially when it came to fighting for the throne. How he would check his food if it was poisoned, he created Fountain Abode where he would know what is going on and for him to be always prepared. He was a child when he lost his mother and after a maid through his of the ship where he drowned. Which makes me think, he would have to always watch his back with no breaks.( I would personally be tired.) First Prince never waivered, even though he wanted his mother's love he knew she trying to use him for her plans. He knew that when she gave him a plate of shrimp something and he is allergic to it.
And the plot twist of the who the villain was. The gasp I let out. I was flabbergasted.
Also Xuan Lu's character Qi Wu, not your typical second female lead. She wasn't clingy to Second Prince and accepted that they would never happen but she did end up with great friendship including with FL. She didn't over step.
Everything started with the Empyrean Token, Dadong Empire and of course has to end in Dadong Empire...
Don't get me started on Han Pu....I will not, I'm still not over it.
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Let it be bound to me for life
It was a story of love, ambition for the world, friendship, and above all kindness. It was a web of people and the stories they had to tell. For some it was a story of loyalty. For others, it was one of revenge. It was interesting to see even the most insignificant side characters making a difference with what little screen time they had. All of them carried a will, a voice, and character that made them so interesting to analyze. For me, it was all of these things. It was a story of Hei-Bai Fengxi (sorry bai fengxi XD)The story revolves around Bai Fengxi, a free spirit, roaming the martial world seeking justice and constantly at odds with Hei Fengxi. Known as a deadly goddess and renowned for her martial arts and free spirit, only the elegant and mysterious Hei Fengxi can match her. We follow them through trials of their individual personal life that gives rise to discoveries in their identity, the walls they break through together in the martial world, and the love that arises as they see one another's world. It was innocent, pure, and unbroken. It remained that way.
As much as it is a love story, it is one about world peace, aspiration, and identity. I have to say, I got a bit emotional whenever the characters found a spark in the life they live, whether it was love, following a respected person, or a pursuit for happiness. Even those who wished to rule the world had a drive in them, a fire that made me a bit envious. Despite the flaws one can find within this tale, I found myself not caring. It delivered me more than the eye-candy I was expecting and spun me into a philosophical spiral on how I should be living life. It was a refreshing look into a couple that wasn't toxic, listened to one another, and stood on equal ground. They were really made for each other. They made their own mark on the world and a name for themselves before coming together. They were their own person before a couple. They saved each other rather than the typical damsel in distress plotline :) It was interesting because in many wuxia and dramas of similar nature, there is always some sacrifice involved. While there was sacrifice here, it wasn't someone denying the others right to choose. It wasn't a selfish self-justified sacrifice for the other pair that allowed for no input from the other party. I think that was a real interesting point for me. They all had a say (when they were able to) and there weren't decisions being made for one another being justified by love or righteousness. I guess it was refreshing for characters to be selfish and admit it rather than fake this selfish and righteous motive. I have to say that this drama kept the line of right and wrong, while allowing its characters to step beyond them as "there is more to life than right and wrong."
I have to say, the OST is beautiful. It was one of emotion and lead the story along. I can think of at least three scenes for each OST upon a listen. That is pretty amazing. I have yet to actually re-watch it (aside from episodes while waiting for the others to air) but I know I will enjoy it. I will find myself smiling at the little interactions and keeping my eyes peeled for the little details I missed. There will be no experience quite like the first watch but it won't be a minus. I do think a clip spree every once in a while via youtube will be really fun and refreshing.
All in all, like most of the reviews I do for dramas that I just watched, the numbers of stars don't matter. No matter how good or bad a drama is, for me, the enjoyment I felt from it matters more. So while this was a 8 star (maybe even 7.5) drama, it was honestly a 9 or even 10 for me in enjoyment and there is nothing wrong with that.
I have to say, I will miss not staying up and waiting for it to drop. I guess it is time to re-watch as Netflix uploads :)
No spoilers but my favorite quote and most memorable section really encapsulated all of the characters struggles in some way. I hope both you and I find that one thread within the thousands of worry that we can't bear to let go, binding it to us forever.
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Watch it if you like great visuals! Plot is pretty mediocre...
Hmm just finished the drama and to be very honest this drama does have many loopholes and entire script was rather on the surface/predictable plots but I still enjoyed it given that there are many familiar faces in this cast and acting wise is fine with me :)I know many people criticized them for the unrealistic martial arts choreographies and "plagiarized" script lines but other than that is definitely watchable for me. For the rumored "plagiarized" parts, I don't really care because only the insiders know what's going on and since all scripts has to go through multiple revisions, thus end outcome only production teams know. For the stun choreography and visual effects, I would say it's very much westernized like the ones you will in a western movie.
For me, I just didn't like the fact this drama's scriptwriter made most of the supporting characters' part very superficial and super little screen time even though the novel had much more elaborations of them... If you are just watching for Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi then you will love it since all the damn plot focus and screen time is on them.
Most of the parts that I found it really predictable was Han Pu, Bai Lang Hua and Hua Chun Ran's character setup. Han Pu being the only child character typically always gets sacrificed in the end to push for main plot's development... Lang Hua's the super typical "brat" character that usually makes no sense in whatever they do in the most dramas' plot but always gets added in to make the casted characters look more "diverse"... I particularly felt a pity for her character since they could have made her more wise and having faith in Bai Feng Xi's moral values, like seriously Bai Feng Xi has always been a very protective and loving elder sister to the sect and there is no reason for junior sect members doubt her actions... For Hua Chun Ran, hmm I don't know but she character's plot seems to be have gotten much deleted parts to the point that she became like an extra for the story...
Overall I would say the scriptwriters did do a bad job given that it's one of Tencent's big budget project on the year... But since I'm familiar with most of the casts and how they performed generally, their acting and overall stun moves are ok for me.
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Political Drama With Soulmates
Who Rules the World was my first foray into Wuxia storytelling. And, my friends, I learned one important lesson - Wuxia dramas are not my thing. While I find Xianxia romances to be fantastically beautiful, I find the martial art fantasy elements to be unrealistic. From my research, the elements featured in WRTW are pretty standard to the genre and were executed well so I can only assume it is a me, not the genre, issue.The worldbuilding and setting were completely overwhelming during the first few episodes. I could not even begin to tell you the major players or overarching plot because so many names, nations, and locations were being rushed down the pipeline. It wasn’t until around the 5th episode I came to a clearer understanding of the general synopsis. Between the fifth and thirtieth episode, it found a well-balanced rhythm between political intrigue and character-driven moments of growth. Was some of it boring and tedious? Yes, for sure. Anyone who enjoys the political aspects will probably enjoy these parts more than me.
The last ten episodes were almost frenetic as the pacing attempted to push forward the plot and characters to wrap up the story. Don’t get me wrong - I actually loved a lot about these episodes. However, it would have been better had the story been more evenly split between the two types of tones and energy. I read that the director left the project midway through production, and it shows. A bit more editing would have made for a better blended story.
While the genre and story pacing may have kept me from enjoying the story as much as I wanted to, the actors by far made up for a lot of mistakes. I absolutely loved Bai Feng Xi, played by the every lovely and versatile actress Zhao Lusi, and Hei Feng Xi, played by the talented Yang Yang. Their friendship, which eventually moved toward romance, was beautifully executed. The two had loads of chemistry. Honestly, I would have loved to have seen more intimate moments between the two, but it is understandable the genre calls for a focus on plot over romance. Their characters arcs, particularly Bai Feng Xi, really made me root for them as individuals and as romantic partners. Typical romantic tropes are mostly avoided, which makes for a refreshing storyline.
I also have to commend the actors playing these roles. I’ve seen Yang Yang in several shows by this point (H2O and You Are More Glory). While I liked him in the contemporary romances, he excelled in this setting. He encapsulated the fine gentlemen traits of Hei Feng Xi flawlessly. His mannerisms, way of speaking, and overall aura really impressed me. Zhao Lusi’s performance was just as powerful as Yang Yang’s, especially toward the end of the show. She has a chameleon like ability to switch between mischievous prankster, royal lady, and martial arts master as she navigates between all the various facets of her character. Any way we can get these two to act opposite of each other in the future?
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Everything you could ask for in a drama
To start, the martial arts/wuxia genre is not really my cup of tea. I'm more of a Sword and the Brocade kind of viewer. So going in, I didn't have expectations that I was going to like this. But let's just say, this drama got my attention and I ended up anxiously waiting for new eps every day.HFX AND BFX are actually really well written characters. BFX was that fearless heroic figure who acted based on the situation right there and then and her emotions. While HFX is rather calculating. He always thinks before doing something. And is very kept to himself during the first half. From the very beginning, I already loved their interaction. I even had the feeling he was already in love with her way before they were introduced to us viewers. He's always watching and taking care of her without giving himself away. And ofc this leads to her thinking everything he does is to benefit himself and he wouldn't do anything that doesn't give him the upper hand. But again, I 99.99% am sure he either had feelings for her or admired her for a long time.
I definitely liked the first half better. It was more of them bickering, solving problems and slowly learning about each other.
Second half was politics, fight for the throne and war. Not my cup of tea but I can say I enjoyed this one as HFX always had the upperhand against his brother FJ.
Pros:
1. BFX was literally the female character we wished were written more in dramas. Alot of dramas, I see strong females in the beginning who gradually lose that coolness. But I can honestly say, she was a strong and badass character throughout most of the drama. There were only a few instances I didn't like her. Like how she babies her Jr. Sister Langhua. Who I wanted to slap so many times.
2. HFX's character...do we need to explain him. He's literally a hero to the world, BFX and our hearts.
3. We got some really good side characters.
*His sidekicks who were fun and always besides our male lead assisting him. Let me just say, I'm glad neither of them died.
* Prince Chang: Some might say he's not a good character as he killed innocent people who knew about his illness. But I think that was the only flaw in his character. I honestly thought he was going to turn against HFX but thankfully he remained the best brother for HFX. He didn't have many scenes but he definitely left an impression on me. He had some of my favorite scenes.
*Minister Feng: by far one of my favorite supporting females in any dramas I've watched. Yes, she was in love with HFX but he didn't love her and she was okay with that. Instead she continued to support him (take notes future evil jealous third wheeling females) and her bonding with BFX during their 1st meeting was enough to say I loved her.
Cons:
1. The rushed ending. Everything was choppy and alot of details were missing and they literally ended a war in a couple episodes. Not that I care for war scenes but wow, it was really rushed.
2. HFX's father the emperor is a terrible father. Didn't even care for his late wife. The fact that he chose to ignore all the bad things Queen Baili and her son FJ did to HFX will make you want to pull your hair. I was literally at the point of wishing death on him.
3. Queen Baili and FJ were really quite the annoying and jealous characters. They should have died long ago so that way there was more time for the actual war and end.
There's alot more pros and cons but I'll stop there. Regardless, I'd give a solid 9.5. Minus .5 for the long plot with the evil queen and stupid emperor.
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Love it
This has everything I love in a period piece drama. Lots of action, such wondrous martial arts that almost appears to be dancelike, beautiful and well written characters, a ML and FL that are confident and strong and of course romance. Am already looking forward to watching it again! Yang Yang and Zhao lu si have lots of chemistry together. It was great to watch them together.This has everything I love in a period piece drama. Lots of action, such wondrous martial arts that almost appears to be dancelike, beautiful and well written characters, a ML and FL that are confident and strong and of course romance. Am already looking forward to watching it again! Yang Yang and Zhao lu si have lots of chemistry together. It was great to watch them together. . …………,,,,
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Overall, the most rewatchable historical drama and #couple goals
I loved how mature their romance was and how there were no unnecessary misunderstandings between the two, I loved how both were perfectly in sync with each other in their values, and priorities and always understood each other under any circumstance. The support roles were strong, I was so immersed in everyone's acting and really hated the villains too. The ost is very memorable and you will remember the drama no matter what when you hear it again. For a drama that's 40 eps, it's very rewatchable and surprisingly not a historical tragedy ( I have pet peeves about reincarnation tropes where they end the story whenever the couple reunite in their next life), the story moves on at a very steady pace so you wouldn't feel bored with it. Overall, the best Chinese drama I've seen so far.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
FAVORITE, BUT WITH FAULTS
YOU KNOW THAT DRAMA THAT WAS HIGH EXPECTATIONS?! IT WAS HIM.THIS DRAMA WAS SIMPLY WONDERFUL, COMPLETELY WON MY HEART.
THE COUPLE WAS DIVINE, WITH A WONDERFUL CHEMISTRY, IT SHOULD NOT BE SEPARATED. IT WAS A COUPLE THAT, WHEN THEY STAYED TOGETHER, NOTHING ELSE SEPARATED THEM. DON'T MUST THINK OF THAT STUPID WOMAN CLICHE THAT IS AFFORDABLE FOR PROTA.
BUT, HOWEVER AND HOWEVER. I CANNOT SAY IT WAS PERFECT. THE SCRIPT IN SEVERAL MOMENTS RUN A LOT, THEY WILL NOT DEVELOP THE RIGHT VILLAIN. THE POOR SECONDARY, WERE SIMPLY FORGOTTEN. THERE YOU COULD MAKE A 60 EPISODE DRAMA OF BOA. NOT TO SAY ALSO, THAT THE FINAL FIGHT THE EFFECTS WERE VERY WEAK.
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Watch.
I must admit that I'm not a big fan of Wuxia but this one had me glued in every episode.The chemistry between ML and FL is amazing. And if you take them out of the Hei-Bai Fengxi duo, they remain amazing. I love how the drama made them equally powerful yet showing flaws in their characters here and there. The actors were indeed perfect for their roles, they were very convincing all around. I may be biased because I've liked both before this drama, haha!
Bonus for me is how the women were portrayed to be strong and as cunning as the men.
The supporting actors were entertaining as well. Pu was my favourite and he left me heartbroken.
But what got me breezing through all 40 episodes is how each problem/challenge finds a solution/closure early on. They didn't drag alongside the overall arch. Would've wanted a more exciting character reveals for both ML and FL though. Like something that rocked the scene. And while I'm at it, a more gruesome end to the villain. I so wanted him to suffer first before getting the luxury of death.
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When reality doesnt meet expectation
well, i rarely write a review, i write this one because its beautiful drama yet annoying, hahaha...from episode 1-31, everything was well executed, amazing story, eyecandy ML and FL, beautiful scenes, etc.
after that, it started to be weird, confusing and rushed, like its entirely different drama and the director was changed.
the scene Lanxi know Fengxi identity just a few seconds without surprise expression at all from anyone, its not even a scene since it just shows Lanxi's hand, hahaha.
Its annoying because it made us think widly, did Lanxy knew her identity from the beginning since he has fountain abode network to do so? If he did, then did he has other intention/motive beside pure love?
because several other scenes after FL identity revealed were also weird, how Lanxi reacted when his dad said to him to find a spouse that bring benefit to yongzhou, how Lanxi said to Fengxi that since yongzhou's problem is now settled, then its time for the next move (the alliance wedding), which seems all moves were planned by him from the beginning.
All these scenes have ruined the beautiful love story they already built from the first episode, its still annoying eventhough its paid by last sacrifying life scene by Lanxi (which only a few seconds too and could be more dramatic).
and the last two episodes were even more horrible. Lanxi's white hair and outfit could be better and the drawing each other eyebrow is a funny yet silly ending scene for such a great drama.
its a pity since this could be a great and hit drama of the year. It should be divided into 2 seasons, season one should have been ended when lanxi confessed his love, wu yuan and huang chao's crush on fengxi also not well developed, adding more stories about how the three noble men fight over fengxi will be interesting, because lanxi's expression when he was jealous was realy really cute, hehe.
well, despite all the drawbacks, its still enjoyable, the story and acting were great, the characters are also great. they are strong and smart, know what they wants and dont bother to face and accept life changes and let go their big dreams for more simple purpose of life, which is love.
they teach us to accept drawbacks in our life, since most of the time reality are not as what we expected,
starts from and by accepting imperfection of this drama, hahaha.
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The best part of the drama is the chemistry between Zhao Lu Si and Yang Yang. They are like the perfect couple and I really like their interaction and they are very cute together. Yang Yang is indeed a very handsome and charming actor who can be overly cool but when he smiles, my heart just melts :)
The wuxia/fighting scenes are a lot more in the first half of the drama. The second half is mostly just political stuff, but not too heavy that you can still easily follow and understand the plot. That's why I only gave this drama a 9 because these political plots are too predictable and light for me. I think the strong part of this drama is the romance story between Yang Yang and Zhao Lu Si.
Another strong point is that there is quite a couple of strong female characters, Bai Feng Xi being one of them and Feng Qi Wu. Boy, I like how badass and loyal Feng Qi Wu is. She really is a great character. The other supporting characters are also good, particularly those by Hei Feng Xi's side like Chong LI and the General and his two sons. I enjoyed these supporting characters story a lot too.
Rewatch value is high for me. If I have time and couldn't find anything new that's worth to watch, this would be on the top of my rewatch list as it's entertaining and quite light for a costume drama. The OST is great! There are five songs that I put on my Apple Music playlist that I've been listening to over and over again, especially the two songs that are on the background of Bai-Hei Feng Xi's romantic interaction. I am still listening to these songs (and will still be listening to this song) even after I have finished watching the drama.
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