A highbrow production with broad appeal.
The Longest Day in Chang'an is an immersive, visually stunning, culturally authentic and thrilling journey back over 1000 years in time to Lantern Festival in Chang'an at the peak of the Tang Dynasty. This is a highbrow and very demanding drama that is immensely enjoyable even if taken simply at face value. The viewer gets to decide how much they wish to invest in it. The production basks in rich historical and cultural detail that marvels over the intellectual, political, legal, administrative, military, cultural and scientific sophistication of Chang'an and the Tang Dynasty more broadly. The faithfulness to historical accuracy and strong edu-drama aspect to this show has history buffs raving with ecstasy. As a layman, the finer nuances would be lost on me were it not for the many knowledgeable insights on this and other sites. That doesn't appeal to everyone and some have remarked on the frequent historical and cultural digressions that interrupt the story-line. My simple take is that "smart fillers" are better than the nonsensical fillers that other dramas spam us with.The absolutely stunning cinematography is the first and most consistent impression throughout - every frame is beautifully angled to create a visual, vibrant feast for the eyes. Even flames from explosions burst in an artistic pattern of controlled natural assymetry. The production is not shy about indulging in artistic license and is littered with lithe and gorgeously willowy Tang ladies with only one small section acknowledging more ingrained images of the classical, prosperously rotund Tang lady. A number of Chinese manhua worthy characters are almost casually dropped in among the otherwise characteristically Tang dynasty cast including Djimon Hounson's Gao Le, the menacing African slave-trader and lord of Changán's underworld; a deadly female assassin who is fanatically devoted to her radical master; and a wildly improbable Western Persian Prince priest with impressive kung fu and building leaping skills. At the end of the day, this is very much a work of fiction and suspension of disbelief will be required as the lead characters achieve superhuman physical feats and survive certain death. All of which make for gripping, visually compelling and heart stopping action scenes.
The drama is not an easy, light watch. The first season (24 episodes) opens with the intense urgency of a fast moving, action packed thriller as the two leads Zhang Xiaojing (Lei Jia Yun) and Li Bi's (Jackson Yi) race against time to foil a terrorist plot during the Lantern Festival. The constraint of the 24 hour timeline forces the narrative to alternate between the high speed chase, political machinations around a power struggle and flashbacks that set up the backstory; all threads which converge in the unraveling of the conspiracy. The many plot twists interact with an extensive cast of complex characters from various factions with unclear and/or malleable loyalties in the power struggle between Li Bi's patron the Crown Prince and his powerful rival the Right Chancellor. In short, there is already a lot to take in so the occasional non sequitur cultural or historical digression can come off as one thing too many.
It took me a long time to care for any of the main characters in this show. Even relatively "good" characters are flawed, primarily driven by self interests and had questionable loyalties and morals. It wasn't obvious that Li Bi' s cause, the Crown Prince was more worthy than the Right Chancellor. Zhao Xiaojing's dealings with Gao Le alienated me; especially when it appeared his real motive was to protect the reckless and misguided Wen Ran. That episode and short lived character stayed with me for a long time because it is the first of many times that bad things happen to good people. And that is how good people can end up doing bad things. Thus there are no outright good or bad characters in this show, they are all products of events beyond their control. Time and again the drama explores how circumstances can push any character to act against his innate nature and self interest. It is a very realistic portrayal of the complexity of human nature's capacity for both good and evil and was acted out compellingly by a truly superb cast. I started to understand the true spirit of the drama when the plight of the common man of the Peacekeeper Corps moved the phlegmatic Li Bi to tears and made him their reckless champion. The real "heroes" in this drama are the common people; that is why it intentionally neglects the main characters and does not attempt to make you root for them and does not care if they have a happy ending. It celebrates the hardships and unrecognized capabilities of the nameless, faceless, powerless, voiceless man - from the forgotten soldier that gives his life for king and country to the ordinary citizens of Chang'an. It wants you to see them, hear them and care about them.
Season 2 (episodes 25-48) was much more enjoyable for me as the intensity of the chase abates and the narrative focus really zeroes in on the power struggle and the unvieling of the conspiracy and ulitmate mastermind. Finally the lead characters are also allowed to shine and shine they did. Zhao Yi Wei's Long Bo was the most provocative and masterfully portrayed character in the drama. As his path converges with that of Zhao Xiaojing, we see the many parallels between the one who seeks vengence and the one who fights to keep dreams alive.
I was surprised by how much I fun I had unraveling the conspiracy. It was very well done and largely kept to the unspoken bargain of hiding enough clues in plain sight that I was able to figure much of it out on my own. The motives of the ultimate mastermind were not convincing. While I had my eye on him as a suspicous character early on, I assumed he was just a link in the chain but not "the guy". It was a stretch that was probably one plot twist too many. One of the other suspects may have been a more credible choice.
Of course it is a foregone conclusion that the emperor was the ultimate villian. While the power dynamics between a manipulative and insecure emperor and his most trusted advisor and his heir has been done before, it was still extremely very well done here. I was completely satisfied when the son takes a leaf out of his father's book in the ultimate act of emotional manipulation. Checkmate. This was the most satisfaction I got from the ending. The bigger question of whether good things happen to good people is left open.
This is definitely the most epic, most idealistic, substantive and thought provoking drama of 2019. Its biggest flaw is that it is overly ambitious and tries to take on too many themes. That it came together so well is a feat in and of itself but as a result, it was not always easy to watch and certainly not something I wanted to dive right into after a hard day at the office. That said, I truly believe it is a must watch and may even be more enjoyable if taken more simplistically just for its stunning aesthetics, intrigue and action.
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With each episode at 30 - 40 minutes a pop, this is easy to binge watch.
Speaking of watching, the subtitling Gods and Godesses thought enough of the Amazon Prime users to give us the whole season complete. Viki is catching up, but again on Prime it is complete.
If you make it to episode 10, then you may as well watch the whole thing because curiosity will kill the cat, and only viewing satisfaction will bring it back.
I do understand that my review does push for viewing, but to really understand what you are getting into...you gotta see for yourself.
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Suspenseful historical set in an immersive and authentic Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty.
The Longest Day in Chang'an is well-written, the characters are complex and the politics are intricate. While the first half of the show literally had me on the edge of my seat because of the fast-pace and suspense, the second half is a bit slower. It focuses more on our characters backstories and on politics. That does not mean the show gets boring during the second half though. It just shifts its focus. By the time we got there I already cared about quite a few characters. So, I loved that we got to know them even more in the latter part of the show. Something I really enjoyed about the characters was how multilayered they were. Each of them had their own ideologies and motivations and while I did not always agree with them, I loved finding out more about their pasts. Trying to figure out the motivations and getting to know the different layers of them, was one of the things I really enjoyed about this show.The cast is excellent. You can clearly see the effort the production team put into finding the right actors.
I really need to praise our two main leads. Lei Jia Yin as Zhang Xiaojing is incredible and takes you along with him throughout this whole journey. Jackson Yi is ridiculously talented at such a young age and I loved how nuanced his portrayal of Li Bi was.
The cinematography, the sets and costumes are gorgeous. Everything looks stunning, and I found myself rewinding a lot, just so I could watch a particularly breathtaking shot again.
The production team paid a lot of attention to details and historical accuracy. You can see this in pretty much every shot, and I was constantly impressed by it.
I do realize that I'm basically telling you this show is perfect, but it's not. One of the biggest problems was the sound engineering. The music is often way too loud while the dialogues are sometimes so low that you can't really hear it. And while I really appreciate that almost everyone used their own voice, some parts were clearly dubbed in post-production. It is just awkward when the voice changes into the dubbed version mid-sentence. At times, I thought the plot and politics got a bit convoluted and even a bit preachy at the end. The last 8 episodes are not as good as they could have been. But that never took away from my overall enjoyment.
This show is probably not for everyone. It takes some time to get into it, and you really have to pay attention while watching. That being said for me this show just worked. You could easily watch this as a beautifully shot historical drama full of suspense and action. Or you can watch it while savoring every shot, paying attention to how well-crafted the sets are, the little details in each scene, the poems, the songs, historical facts and so much more. It's really your choice how much you invest into this show. And that truly was what I loved about it so much. I found myself researching about Chang´an and the Tang dynasty or other details that caught my eyes while watching. And that is something I really appreciate.
Going straight to my all-time favorites.
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Something is rotten in the state of Tang...
I started this drama on a dare with myself. I mean, who makes a 48-freaking-episode drama set in one city over the course of just 24 hours?! Well the joke is on me, cause I just spent a week binging this show.The first half is a thoroughly engaging mystery/action joyride and a feast for the eyes, featuring explosive horse cart chases and parkour on lantern-lit rooftops. We get to explore this marvel of a mediaeval city, while dragged on an immersive and spectacular journey from the highest seat of power to the darkest underbelly - meeting on the way a gallery of people who were made or broken by it. Action/superheroes/comics lovers will find a lot to keep their interest here, with the all-powerful boss of the underworld that likes to play cruel mind games, Wolven squad with a set of fantastical beliefs, parkour-loving prince of Persia and an unbreakable superhero Zhang Xiaojing who can win against any odds:D
The second half though wasn't an easy watch for me, as the heavy choices that the characters had been forced to make earlier in the day, started to catch up to them. It was actually quite refreshing not to care as much about the protagonists and sympathise with the troublemakers. Too many shows nowadays lead the audience by the hand, telling us who are the good guys that we should root for… Here, we get to see everyone's humane and inhumane sides, and most of them get to say their piece before the end… And they actually have a code of morals that fit the times! Not like the recently prevalent modern-day thinking people wearing costumes. By the end, the script started to gnaw on its own tail a bit though, with a few too many twists, confrontations and unlikely outcomes. It slightly muddled the characters' motivations and relationships.
In short, the mood and pace of the storytelling differs a lot between the two halves of this show. The first one is gripping and exhilarating, while the second one takes its time to peel the layers off characters, schemes and past events. In any case, this show is well worth watching as a visual masterpiece with authentic feel, memorable characters, unique plot points and one sexy villain in Zhou Yiwei's Long Bo;) Highly recommended for history and art lovers!
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Hidden Motives, Crouching Fire
The Longest Day in Chang’an is a drama that can make you rave and rage. The production values were excellent, building a world that seemed real. For the most part the acting was also above average. What was rage worthy were all the characters from the ruling class that lied, cheated, stole, tortured, and murdered to move up or keep their vaunted positions. Completely out of touch with the people’s reality, the more they talked about the great Tang or serving the people, the more they ignored the truth, often seeking to find scapegoats for any problems that arose.“Humans have always acted differently than their words”
The basic template was simple. Bad guys were in town to cause problems and the Crown Prince was about to be passed over for the Right Chancellor. Li Bi, a young prodigy, headed up the Peacekeepers Corp which had a database of information to draw from. The database picked death row inmate, Zhang Xiao Jing, to solve their problems. All he had to do was track down the bad guys and round them up before the Emperor’s giant lantern is lit at 2:00am on the night of the Lantern Fest and make the Crown Prince look good in the process. This being a drama filled with political intrigue, nothing was that simple when everyone was vying for position and trying to be on the winning side, especially when being on the losing side of power could mean death. Much of the action also occurred because of a military squad’s loyalty and near annihilation due to bad military management ten years prior.
“Kindness must be repaid, vengeance must be served”
Ex-soldier and ex-Sleuth Hound Commander, Zhang Xiao Jing , was a hardened warrior who was completely devoted to the surviving 9 from a disastrous military campaign and the daughter of their leader. He also held to the dream of what Chang’an could be for all people and would fight to protect the commoners with his last breath. Lei Jia Yin gave a strong, if not varied, performance as the super fighter who seemed to always be fighting large numbers or having to sacrifice to gain information. I was curious how a prisoner confined in a tiny cage for months would have had the stamina to run across Chang’an over and over all day and night as well as fighting almost non-stop.
“If I can’t save the present, I can’t save the future”
Jackson Yee as Li Bi, was more limited in his range as the leader of the Corps who found that despite his intelligence, he was often outplayed by people outside of and within the Peacekeepers. Rayzha Alimjan as Li Bi’s servant, Tan Qi, at least gave a strong female presence in a largely male cast. I was surprised and pleased to see Djimon Hounsou in the role of the Underworld Lord. Feng Jia Yi played the much older and retired on duty Emperor, with his white beard and eyebrows reminding me of Lo Lieh’s iconic character from Clan of the White Lotus. The most mesmerizing performance, however, was from Zhou Yi Wei as Long Bo. His every move was captivating in a nuanced and menacing performance that in lesser hands could have been ham-fisted.
“Numbers are the truth”
How many times did someone pull out mint to chew on? I stopped counting at 17 times. How many times was Zhang accused of being the perpetrator of a crime? Around 1,756, 230. The Emperor has indigestion. Dang that Zhan Xiao Jing! How many times did someone promise protection and then renege on it? The odds were not good for the person being promised. Pinky swears didn’t count for anything in Chang’an. How many characters did I wish would erupt into flames, but didn’t? Around 10. “A good man will be rewarded” or blamed by the bad man who will then be rewarded in his place. How many times were the good guys captured? Let me pull out my calculator.
“Truth doesn’t matter as much”
What Longest Day in Chang’an did well was world building. The excellent sets, teeming streets of extras, and costumes that looked worse for wear as the day went on, transported me back in time. The multi-layered narrative, intriguing characters, and well-choreographed action scenes were engrossing. Again, Zhou’s Long Bo was captivating and Zhang’s dogged determination was admirable if not exhausting. Where it didn’t work as well was when it became bogged down in the details and desire to give small history lessons. By giving many minor characters important screen time it side-lined others. Certain elements also became redundant. And a character that was talked about often, the Crown Prince, had relatively little screen time making it hard to tell if all the hearsay stories about him were true. Whereas, the despicable Right Chancellor's every loathsome move was shown. Despite focusing on numerous characters, the big reveal at the end was rather anti-climactic as the “mastermind” divulged pages of exposition regarding his evil plan in order for it to make sense and even then left a golden clue dangling.
“Human beings need to hold onto some kind of dream. That is what will drive them forward.”
Zhang and his buddy Wen, both knew Chang’an was not an ideal place, but both hoped it could be. There were people who fought to protect the citizens, even a Catholic priest who could do parkour! The suffering was largely due to the corrupt political system. The royalty and officials constantly looked for a way to destroy their rivals and rise in power with little thought for anyone else. Commoners, soldiers and servants were expendable and interchangeable. Even the terrorists who desired to set the system on fire had no compassion for those who struggled to make a life and living in Chang’an. The Longest Day in Chang’an was gripping and well worth the time even when I was ready for the day to end.
17 January 2024
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Story:
Admittedly, it's a lot to take in. You're thrown into the middle of the bustling capital Chang'an for 24 hours, and, boy, it's a long, long day. Buckle up 'cause every detail and every face matters. The first half is action-packed, intense, and thrilling. The chase to find the ultimate mastermind and prevent mass casualty is an exciting rush to be in the moment. The plot then slows to unravel the intriguing conspiracy, leaving you speechless and chilled to the bone. Also, in this latter half, it shows the grim reality of politics. Even when an immense threat is upon Chang'an, the various powers, who are supposed to unite to fight against it, are wary of each other and more worried about themselves than the foundation of any regime, the people.
I grew tired of the plot twists revolving the identity of the ultimate mastermind, but the journey of realizing his identity was the least of my worries was... Painful.
I'm not a fan of constant flashbacks. I'd rather have the past shown to me in one go. This drama, however, presents pieces of the past just enough to give you vital information that explains characters' actions. It works out well. Furthermore, you'll slowly understand their dreams and beliefs. The past war the Eighth Squadron fought became one of my favorite parts of the drama. Just see for yourself.
"I am a solider." - A line and its entailments... So beautifully brutal.
Characters:
It's an ensemble cast. Everyone is important whether they're on the side of the conspiracy or not. I enjoyed the morally gray characters because it's realistic. We're all selfish human beings, both good and evil, and that has never changed. As long as something serves our interest, let's go and do it. Some characters, mainly Zhang Xiao Jing and Yu Chang, may seem inhuman with their abnormal strength, but this is forgiven since it adds excitement during the action scenes. Ultimately, there is a lack of character development. These are stubborn characters who are firm in their beliefs. In the span of 24 hours, well, old habits die hard. You do see them gain some enlightenment though.
Tidbits:
It's aesthetically pleasing. I found the street scenery of Chang'an absolutely mesmerizing. I appreciated the consistency of blood, cuts, and bruises on the characters in each scene. The fight scenes are a little clumsy but look natural enough. The parkour scenes had me laughing. I felt no strong attachment to any major character. More than any of them, the common people who only had a few scenes or lines captured my heart. And that heart was stomped on over and over again...
Conclusion:
You definitely need to pay attention to every scene to get the full experience. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes to be in pain. Yes, I said it. What started as a simple good vs. evil battle. What started as people painted as purely heroes or villains. It turned into something more dark and bleak than I thought it could get. Who you root for in the beginning may not be the same in the end~
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It is indeed the longest day in Chang’an
“The Longest Day in Chang’an (长安十二时辰) is adapted from the novel of the same title by Ma Bo Yong (马伯庸). It is set in Chang’an, the capital and heart of the Tang Empire, in the year 744 A.D. Our protagonists, Zhang Xiao Jing (Lei Jia Yin), Li Bi (Jackson Yee) and their team, have 24 hours to catch the forces that are trying to destroy the city and uncover their plot. In the midst of this, there is an ongoing fight for political supremacy between the Crown Prince and the Right Chancellor, and at the same time, the Emperor is planning to hand over governance of the country to the Right Chancellor, as he prepares to do a semi-retirement.The drama feels realistic and gritty, in the sense that you don’t see people with exceptional “qing gong” (轻功) or “lightness skill” flying as they fight, and the battle scenes feel so grounded. Also, the way they filmed the city scenes gives an authentic feel, and the drama shows Chang’an to be a very diverse and vibrant city, with people from different ethnicities converging in one big melting pot.
The story has twists and turns, and it’s interesting to see the plot unfold. However, the drama’s pacing varies. Some parts are exciting and keeps you guessing and anticipating the next scenes, some parts are touching and emotional, and there are some parts that are slow and dragging. I truly felt that it was a very long day, but more than that, it felt like the events happened in more than one day – more like 2 to 3 days.
Most of the cast did a great job portraying their characters. I especially like Zhou Yi Wei as Long Bo and Feng Jia Yi as the Emperor; they were able to bring their characters to life. One of the most memorable scenes for me was between Long Bo and the Emperor as they faced each other in the banquet hall. I was so touched by the conversation, reactions and emotions that it brought tears to my eyes. The Emperor showed himself to be both compassionate and a good leader, but also somewhat out of touch with the realities on the ground. In other words, he was far from perfect, as some of his subjects made him out to be.
The drama’s fight and battle scenes were well-executed, and as mentioned, they look realistic and grounded. I like the soundtrack, as it fits the mood of the drama. Some of the music have an ancient feel to it, while the others are more upbeat. There is even an English language song played at the end of a few episodes.
Final verdict: Overall, this is a good mystery/political drama, but it would have been better if the pacing is faster in the slow scenes and some annoying characters have less airtime.
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Citius, Altius, Fortius.
Citius!Forget slow pace plot-lines. This is a FAST breathtaking piece. But in very decent portion. Think this, a story of one day in 40-plus episodes. Mastermind of scriptwriting skills is superb.
You won’t turn heads to checked on your phone or grabs more chips. The story will fuse you to stalk on and suspense at all cost. I found it, sublime.
Let’s talk costumes and set. It is so portraying and magnificently bleak with noir scent but has grandeur effect at the same time... history is ancient... and ancient is majestic.
Altius.
Higher value in action scene, war scene, explosives scene, intense scene and surprisingly, bitter-comedic scene.
You’ll get chuckles in catchphrases, yet this is a collosal drama... how smart is that!!!
This drama is on another higher level. It deserves awards.
Dialogues in the drama is so fluid when telling heavy ideas. And complicated bickering between leads is brought to screen strangely light yet in-depth manner. Even though it was describing such a complicated plots. Are the good guys the bad? Will the bad guys turned good? Are we taking sides with the heroes? Are we doubting our heroes?
Each episode builds more story line and takes you on a high. Remember, this is a story of 1 (one) day.
Fortius.
Let’s talk about cast. Jackson Yi, I adore you. Li Bi is how you define strong thoughts. Genius. Fragile in trust. And no one, I mean no one should do it but him. Mr. Jackson Yi.
As for our heroes. Standing ovations, indeed.
Strong casts in this drama brings spectacular aspects which leads the storylines to our tv screens as if we’re watching a masterpiece painting in the works. Colors emerged and shapes develops. All in strong lines and movements. Very defining.
What I get this drama is. Greatness. And wanting for more...
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This one kept me on my toes right from the first episode and the production was beautiful. I hate watching many of the newer historical series sometimes due to the lack of attention in details to the costume/makeup/environment, etc. It feels less historical and more like a joke most of the time. However, they did such a fabulous job on this one. I truly appreciated the realism in the fight scenes as well, which is rarely done well in many series.
Lei Jia Yin and Zhou Yi Wei really made this series come to life for me. Then again, if I think about it, many of the actors also made it come to life. Those two just happened to be my favorites. Each episode with its intervals of the day were interesting by itself and the progression was done well. And really appreciated the focus on the "minor" characters and their sacrifices (they usually forget them and move on quickly).
The only real flaw for me was how it ended. They did so well with maintaining really great intensity for most of the episodes but the ending for both the plot and the characters didn't sit as nicely for me as I had hoped. Nevertheless, it is still very much worth the watch. The ending isn't as destructive to the series as it has been for others.
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This review may contain spoilers
Breathless in Chang’an
I just finished this show after several days of binge-watching, and I can honestly say that it is one of the most visually stunning shows I’ve ever seen. While I was watching it, I couldn’t stop thinking of how every frame looked so beautiful.The Longest Day in Chang’an is a show I’m very happy to have watched. It is an extremely special show that has the ability to transport you to a different time. It is extremely atmospheric and pulls you in almost immediately. However, I somehow feel like it didn’t really resonate with me on such a deep level. I think this may have to do with several aspects which I’ll get to in a moment:
Characters:
Whereas the characters are rather strong and their motivations are quite clear for most part, I was unable to fully love any character. I don’t think this is necessarily a flaw in the show or anything. It’s definitely a more plot focused drama rather than a character focused one, and that’s fine. It’s just that I was personally unable to feel any strong emotion for any of the characters. Many of the kind hearted people of Chang’an (those with guest roles) died in horrific ways. That was just pretty depressing. I am not complaining about the moral ambiguity of most of the main and supporting characters, but it did distance me a bit from them, even though I could empathise with a lot of things they were feeling. Zhang Xiao Jing is presented as a heroic person, although he has done some terrible deeds too. However, what made him less relatable to me was how much of a superhero he appears to be. He is touted as the one who can save the city, and he never gets tired. Instead he is able to do pretty much everything and survive without many problems. Li Bi kind of ends up being not-so-smart, even though he’s supposed to be a prodigy. Xu Bin - I’m not sure his reasons to do what he did are clear enough, or justified. I like that he is the person no one believed would be able to pull off what he does, but in the end, his motivations are not extremely clear. Xiao Gui (Long Bo) is a compelling villain, but I still don’t understand how he was able to kill off so many poor workers at the Peacekeeper Corps so mercilessly after saying he wouldn’t hurt them. It was understandable that he was reeling from the pain he and his friends endured during the time they had been members of the eighth squad, but what good would it do killing off a bunch of helpless officials doing their jobs? It wasn’t the moral ambiguity that was the problem- it was just what felt a bit like out of character stuff. Other minor characters like such as Yuan Zai and Wang Yun Xiu were just plain annoying. Wen Ran also seemed to have very little personality. Yu Chang was just plain annoying to me. Eventually there were very few characters I actually felt something for. I wonder if feeling an emotional distance from the characters also has anything to do with the point that I’ll talk about next.
Endless action sequences:
For a show that happens over the span of one day, there’s surely far too much going on. Zhang Xiao Jing (will call him ZXJ from now on) goes through a million hurdles over the course of the day - and these are all explosive action sequences. If I clean the house for two hours, I need to sit down for another five hours, but ZXJ just seems to have boundless energy. He almost gets killed several times on the show but somehow manages to be in the best form. Even Li Bi manages to survive some near death experiences and has no problems. Tan Qi gets buried alive but shows no signs of fatigue later on. Having all these near death experiences and constant action scenes took away from the feeling that these characters might really die at some point. The action became saturated to the point where it became a spectacle rather than something that leads the story forward. At the beginning of the show, the action sequences seemed to serve some purpose, but they just became excessive at some point and seemed to have little tension to them.
Length:
This show needed to be condensed into 35 episodes at most. 48 episodes for a show uncovering a mystery in 24 hours is a bit too much. That’s why the endless action sequences also seem implausible and give you no breathers. For this reason, I actually enjoyed the mundane talking and scheming political intrigue parts more than the action sequences.
That said, this is still an excellent show. The acting is very good and the background score is beautiful. I was completely blown away by the work that went into making this show so technically breathtaking. I think that anyone reluctant to start watching a Chinese drama should start with this one. It’s an absolutely beautiful-looking drama and really requires thinking on the part of the viewer. The political intrigue is very interesting and the intensity of this show never ends.
It doesn’t touch a 9/10 for me, but an 8.8. Somehow, it didn’t touch my core, even though it was a very impressive and thought-provoking show.
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Beautiful production but SUPER slow
Completed - 4/5/2022 - 7.75 rounding up to 8.0It's really unfortunate that I don't love "The Longest Day in Chang'An". It's a masterful production with a great general plot and meaningful lessons of loyalty, friendship and sacrifice. However, I was really forcing myself to finish this drama. I just couldn't get into it. The pacing is really slow for me. It took me about 15 episodes to get into the story. By approximately Ep 16-30, I became more interested as finally, there's action and explosion. Unfortunately, after Ep 30, things slow down again.
I wish this drama is only about 30 episodes long. We can use a couple episodes for the setup/buildup, then one episode per day for the real plot, and then another episode or two as an extended epilogue. 48 episodes of talking is really too much.
I was tempted to give this drama an even lower rating. However, there are certain aspects of the drama that are excellent, and prevented me from lowering my rating even more.
1. Acting - Top notch acting all-around. Nothing more needs to be said.
2. Production quality/Cinematography - I didn't do the research, but I heard the drama is very historically accurate - set designs, props, costumes, etc. You do not see flimsy sets or props that are about to break. Everything is top notch. The cinematography is also fabulous. I have a fondness of natural lighting from candles and lanterns. With the lantern festival as the backdrop, there is no shortage of beautiful night time scenes. It's no wonder "Luoyang" is being compared to this drama so much, esp. when it comes to cinematography. I would say the colors of this drama is more natural and realistic. Whereas, the colors in "Luoyang" are more vibrant and high-definition.
3. Actors voice - All actors use their own voices and there's no dubbing. You can also hear there's actually live recording on set, in addition to studio voiceovers. Occasionally, you do hear a dubbed voice during post production maybe because of censorship. It's just such a delight to be able to hear actors own voices in a historical drama. It makes the acting and emotions shown so much more realistic.
4. OST and background music - What a beautiful original soundtrack "The Longest Day in Chang'An" has. Traditional songs and music just complement the scenes so well. Many of the song lyrics are actually poems from the great poet Li Bai. Though the BGM could be loud at times and overshadow the dialogs, the music is just beautiful.
5. Fight Scenes - I enjoy the gritty, realistic fight scenes. They are gruesome and harsh, but each time a fight broke out between our ML and a bad guy or his former comrade, I can feel the ML's emotions. There are no weak punches by anyone. Every single actor gives it 100% when fighting. And, how badass is our lady assassin!
Even though I listed all these positive aspects of the drama, the rating comes down to my personal feeling. Unfortunately, the sum of the parts do not bring me great enjoyment.
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This review may contain spoilers
Time Stretching in Chang'An
For fans of the espionage genre, this drama gives a rare glimpse into the MI-5 of ancient China; the imperial secret service, the Peacekeeper Corps of Chang 'An, and its solitary field agent. The COO (…chief operating officer) is Li Bi, the young genius and ally of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. Li Bi has his pulse on every street, every alley, every house, every waterway of the capital city, via an impressive scale model that was designed by the famous architect, and he has a database manned manually by his underlings. (Roger that!) The lone secret service agent underdog hero is Army Captain Zhang Xiao Jing, a force of one, who bulldozes his way through throngs of soldiers who are armed with sword and crossbow. Everyone else shows up for a day's work, and their compensation is to live or die another day. (Spoiler alert!)Conspiracy in the court, revenge plots, invasion, loyalty, villains popping out of the woodwork, and a grand scale Lantern Festival (that rivals the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony), are components of the plot. Forty-eight episodes are a very generous representation of twenty-four hours in the Tang dynasty. That translates into an average of two episodes per hour, but the timekeeper's random declaration of the time contradicts the equation. One might question how Time was interpreted during the Tang dynasty. There were a few draggy parts and lengthy chatty scenes and generous close-ups, but the clock stopped ticking many times, when flashbacks and flashbacking sequences interrupted the crucial minutes of the Chang 'An day.
The directing, writing, casting, acting, costume design and set design, music score high marks. Editing did not run away as it often does in C-dramas, but the flashbacking scenes were positioned in the wrong moments.
This is one drama where the Director reined in the supporting departments to work in unison toward a common goal; achieving high entertainment and high quality in television drama production. The planning and execution is apparent in front of, and behind the camera.
The marvel and lynchpin of the drama is the indomitable Zhang Xiao Jing, whose motto is “Never give up the fight.” In fact, he might have fought a few hundred soldiers in the course of twenty-four hours, without breaking a sweat. Emperor, give that man a promotion and the title of God of War.
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