This is one of the best dramas I have ever watched, and it definitely deserves its high rating. I admit, the first few episodes of the drama (up to around episode 10) were pretty cringy to watch, mostly because of the weird CGI. However, please do NOT let this turn you off from watching the rest of the drama. It gets SO much better as it continues on. I genuinely started becoming invested in the story after episode 10, and every single episode after 24 I would consider a masterpiece. It is definitely worth it to bear through the first few episodes to watch the remaining episodes. What I loved most was that there were so many questions I had throughout the drama, but literally every single one of them got answered by the last episode.

Character-wise? 10/10. There is not a single character I hate in this story or that is one-dimensional (except maybe the first main villain, the Wen Clan leader) because their backgrounds are flourished out so well that you start to sympathize with some of them and understand their motives for acting a certain way. It will make you learn to think before judging or hating on certain characters. Wei Wu Xian is one of the best characters; he is very charismatic and may act childish at times, but is willing to become the scapegoat and sacrifice himself for others if need be. He has so many expressions and I give major props to Sean for being able to act him out so well for an inexperienced actor. I must also commend Wang Yi Bo, who did a perfect job as Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan is a man of few words and looks boring and stoic all the time, but it is amazing how Wang Yi Bo is able to display so many different emotions with just his eyes. All of the characters in this drama were cast perfectly. There weren't a lot of female characters in this drama, but the ones that did exist were all very charming and strong, which is a pleasant surprise, because in almost all dramas I experienced watching, at least one of the female characters were portrayed as ditzy and clumsy.

I also especially loved the relationship among the characters. There is so much growth and development among many of them, obviously including the one between Wei Wu Xian and Lan Zhan. This may be considered a BL drama but instead of explicitly depicting the growing relationship between them, their expressions and subtle actions when around each other are telling enough of how dear they hold one another.

The music in this drama is also amazing. Usually I don't pay attention to the music in a drama because they're not very catchy or distinct, but many times the music played at certain scenes has caused me to break down and cry.

Usually I am someone who is emotionless when watching dramas and I can only list a few shows I have watched in my lifetime that has managed to make me cry. However, this drama will definitely capture your heart and make you feel many different types of emotions, especially with the help of the music. It will make you smile, laugh, cry, angry, and spew out curse words. It teaches you many things, ranging from stuff about trust, loyalty, love, to sacrifice, betrayal, and familial piety. I would highly recommend this drama to anyone and there is no doubt that I would watch the drama again some time in the future.

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