Burning Flames (2024)

A unique drama that used deceptive storytelling to tell its story with solid, layered & tight script

If you want to watch drama that have solid and quality script, brilliant & smart leads, couple that actually communicate & trust each other unconditionally, compelling supporting characters and interesting villains, then Burning Flames delivered in all departments. No stupid misunderstandings, characters that behave out of character or turned 180 degrees or frustrating plots that test your patience --none of this is in this drama. All you have to do is overlook the horrible CGI in the first 2 episodes and then you realized all that are only superficial and secondary to what gem that the drama truly possessed which is the story -- a truly engaging story with fantastic and layered writing with lot of social commentaries and great messages.

And it worth to note that the Director chose this campy and over the top vibe purposely as part of its storytelling. The performative acting, the 80's fashion, the vibrant & over the top colors, the splitting of screen for the fighting scenes -- yes, it's all intentional. It served as a secondary character to the drama -- I'm cringing the choice while admiring it at the same time.

The uniqueness of the plot makes the whole story very engaging and compelling as not many dramas actually covered this topic yet. The drama is structured with specific objective in each arc and I love how every arc has its own meaning and goals that they want to achieve and despite supporting characters come and go, they are written with depth with their own back stories -- even the villains. Everyone in the story served a purpose, no matter how small they are -- that would include the adorable ZhaZha as well. You didnt notice this at first until the same characters come back into the story again with purpose to contribute to the main story. Despite the fast paced nature of the plots, I love how they actually took time for characters' development and exploring the various parts of its central theme. And despite the main theme is Immortal VS Human, they also dwelled into different conflicts such as the selfishness of human's nature, the internal conflicts between the immortals and also hypocrisy of the demon clan in upholding justice -- it all being covered to make it such a compelling story.

And, this drama has done many foreshadowing for future events as hints to a lot of things. And all these hints are so glaringly obvious as signs to us the audiences about the characters such as how smart is Wu Geng or how sensible is Bai Cai. The way the drama plays around with the hints while showing us different things are all kind of brilliant. This deceptive kind of storytelling is very unique of how the drama is showing us a narrative while also dropping hints all over for us not to trust that narrative that being presented. The script has been so amazing that soma parts of it actually exceeded my expectation especially during Xinque Kui's scheme arcs -- it was angsty and was kind of a torture but the deceptive storytelling the Director and Writer chose to opt certainly made the twist highly satisfying. Everything was shot exactly to deceive the enemies (as well as the audiences) while also giving the audiences clues all over the story on why we should not trust of what we see on screen. I love when I encountered this kind of unique storytelling once in a while since it makes your watching experiences even more colorful and interesting.

Ren Jialun is doing his usual magic, being charismatic and all but he isn’t aloof in this role so you can see him be very expressive as Wu Geng and he doesn’t have to resort to micro expressions much while playing the character. One thing I like about Wu Geng is how self aware he is. He sure start as being impulsive but you can see how he matures and fit into the leadership role slowly -- winning everyone's heart whether it's human, monster, magical creatures, basically everyone that he encountered during his journey. What I like the most about him is that he always put his people as #1, it wasn’t actually revenge on his mind but rather wanting to release all people from suffering under the Immortal’s reign. I like how the writer always highlighted that -- whether in his monologue inside his head or his actions. It also being portrayed with little details -- like how he will see them and acknowledge their well wishes to how he doesn’t like to be praise when they start worshipping him. He really sees them as people he needs to protect -- a true leader at heart. While Xing Fei is being her usual self and being a sunshine and lovely character she is known of in her other dramas. The most amazing thing about Bai Cai is that despite she is a human and ordinary with no powers, she makes herself useful in every situation. Lot of people like to gloss through her contributions but she is the one who helped Wu Geng the most in his journey -- from protecting him, stopping his impulsive behaviors or just simply being there as a total support to him. Xu Xudan as A'Lan is probably one of the coolest 2nd female lead out there -- the way she stands on her ground, unwavering support and loyalty towards Wu Geng to her protection and teachings -- now I understand why Xudan took this role since the writing for her character is truly fantastic. Then comes Zheng Ting as Nitian Erxing. I truly feel the Director has a field day recording his scenes -- the Director always capture him from above or below to highlight his beautiful eyes, long eye lashes and perfectly shaped eyebrow. I'm laughing with how his scenes totally distract me from the plot, the character is magnetic and full of passion. His female commander said that Wu Geng's arrival at the Demon Clan has makes Erxing's eyes sparkle with hope and you can literally see how its glistering brightly & clearly there and then. And I love to see all the popular cameos especially Han Dong (please be a cameo in all dramas lol), Peter Ho (which is charismatic as hell), Jeremy Tsui, Ming Dao, Joe Chen and many Thousand Years For You support actors come back to this drama to play a part like General An, Bai Prince & Leader of Sea Spirit Clan.

And the lead couple's relationship is certainly one of the strongest points in the drama. This is why I love romance in non-romance dramas. It’s usually one of the strengths of the drama as it served as 'soothing effects' for the characters -- the home they go to when the world is driving them crazy. Just like Wu Geng & Bai Cai's relationship here. I love how they always discuss, trust and reassure each other along the way like a true married couple. That is why when Bai Cai revealed her true identity to Wu Geng, she did it with a smile on her face since she knew Wu Geng will accept her regardless of her race -- there is not even a single double when she told him that despite she also struggle with her identity in the beginning. Their trust and loyalty towards each other is unwavering that no matter how the villains try to put discord into their relationship, it will fail miserably.

And I just love how the script keeps coming back to the main theme of the story which is 'Fate is in your hand' -- so you yourself decide on how you are going to fight against it. Wu Geng's conversation with Uncle Ziyu is all kind of awesome on how they touched the topic about fate and how his father will fight for it even when he knew the outcome and the effect on him and his family and the condemnation that he is going to face -- which being brought up multiple times in the drama. But change is needed, you can't just stay at your place and wait for everything to change on its own.

I also love the fact the drama went back on the topic how Xin King's decision to rebel against the Immortal robbed the chance of ordinary people of choice -- choice to join the fight or choice to just live their lives peacefully. Just because the main character decided on something, doesn’t mean they get spared from being criticized from with it. That is why with Wu Geng now, all the people who joined him are with choice -- a choice that they made on their own. That is why there is people like Chen Jing or Xiao Sheng -- despite supporting Wu Geng, yet, still making a choice of not to join his fight. I love how the drama paint all these people as different, and have their own thinking -- entities that just don’t exist for the main leads or just exist as plot device -- they are their own people, making their own decisions on how to live their lives.

Regarding the ending, I love how they actually took time for the ending -- the battle with Hei Long, the aftermath, and all Wu Geng visits, and later the end. It wasn’t rushed at all and it is beautifully written carefully with an awesome message on how Wu Geng's legacy is not him inheriting the throne but rather how he lives in people's hearts. And tbh, I didn’t expect to cry, like it’s a battle dramas with fighting scenes from beginning to end but the script is amazing since they let everyone have their own emotional moments -- starting with the Grandad, not gonna name anyone here as it will be spoiler but even the evil Xinyue Kui? Like they have to show the Dad and the sister from her memories and all her regrets, and there I was shedding a tear for her as well.

I love even how in the end, the drama showed it wasn’t Wu Geng ALONE who defeat Hei Long but rather a collective efforts and helps from everyone. Wu Geng used the analogy of how even 'ants can defeat a Giant' as foreshadowing before the battle and that's how they designed the ending as well. So many twists and turns in merely 3 episodes -- and they actually property spent 3 episodes for the ending alone. At first, I am ready to give the drama a 9 but the emotional mess it made me feel for the last 3 episodes deserved a 9.5. Whoever wrote the script deserved a brownie point. This is how you write a good drama and a good ending.

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Too much talking

I gave this series a fair shot by watching every episode but sadly I never got emotionally invested with any of the characters though I was intrigued on how it would end.

The series is good but not great. The CGI initially was just awful. It did gradually get better. The FL was intolerable to me for most of the storyline except towards the latter part of the series. The ML is okay. Didn't really feel much for him which is a bad sign. There is just too much talking and very little action. Because of that I had to watch all 40 episodes in 2x and I still wanted it to go faster. The slowest part of the plot was the 'mine'. It just annoyed me.

The set design was actually pretty good. I can definitely see the work that went into it. The plot itself is decent and just elaborate enough so you don't lose interest. But I would have liked it more if there were fewer episodes.

The series ending was not great. Guess we will get some extra scenes. The final fight was okay. Still way too much talking for my liking which dampened my interest.

It was my least favourite wuxia drama as I kept hoping it would get better but the feeling of wanting to skip ahead or wishing to play in 3x never went away. It didn't help that the poor subs made the dramatic scenes hilarious instead of upsetting.

The secondary characters were quite decent. I just wish the main characters were superior. The action scenes are okay. Mostly flying and CGI. You don't see any special fight moves because of the light and sparks.

The OST didn't make me want to go back and listen to it. But it's not bad.

I was conflicted on whether to rate this a 6.5 or 7. But if I am being honest, I wouldn't recommend this drama though I can appreciate some of the complexity to the story. It just didn't interest me enough. Some parts didn't quite make sense to me like the entire immortal realm being evil and overpowering any of the good. Another airing drama like The Legend of Shen Li is far better in holding my attention, the CGI and the dialogues are interesting. You don't feel like skipping ahead because it has good drama.

Burning Flames is good but even if you skip, you won't miss out on anything special, IMO.

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Fans of Xianxia will really like this !

Plot is a typical popcorn xianxia webnovel. If you like it, you'll love this, if not you'll hate this.

It's good, engaging and really fun to watch.

The makeup and costumes are great, similar and not straying much from the manhwa. The plot has not been changed much from the source material either, so again if you really like popcorn xianxia novel, you'll love this.

The editing/cutting is very aggressive, similar to that of a manhwa. There are very few boring parts as mentioned earlier, the editing cuts out everything that isn't central to the plot. You can just turn off your brain, grab some popcorn and enjoy this manga that has come to life.

There are almost zero creative "changes" done for the sake of adapting it to a tv show, so again if you dislike such genres, you'll hate this otherwise it's really good. The CG is colorful and spectacular, more or less a straight copy of the manga.

There's a reason why there was a boom of WN in china with kids and adults.
Not many people who are overworked to death, tired after a day's work like to watch/read a serious drama, but often are happy watching face-slapping novels.

People already have so many problems that we dun wanna read, watch or hear of 3 more body problems.

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Chinese Justice League for the WIN!

I don't remember why I had originally put this in my watchlist probably because the concept seemed interesting and I've seen a good chunk of the cast previously in other dramas. The fantasy element was always fascinating and so it was the Chinese Justice League for the serious WIN!

Pros: Favorite character was definitely the demon grand marshal NTEX. I had only seen the actor in one modern before and I was blown out of the water by his performance here; he's improved by leaps and bounds and is totally suitable for costume dramas. He literally delivered every ounce of his character until his dying breath and then in spirit. Not a perfect character; made a big mistake, had flaws but absolutely won the hearts of everyone. WG was in close second as it was his storyline of becoming essentially the mortal God of War but through trials and tribulations and even death but returned to triumph at the end. For him it was from power to slave to slowly developing into a very formidable force of freedom. Everyone he met along the way, became his friends and allies. He grew his anti-immortal army slowly but once they joined hands, they were awesome. WG and NTEX's friendship/brotherhood was my absolute favorite. Them two shared a brain cell when it came to strategies; that was so cool!

Other favorite characters were Ah Lan, Uncle Ziyu, grandpa, SX, Bei'er (though her appearance was very short, it was meaningful), precious dragonfly and even ZQ plus the last real Sage who took over governing that realm afterwards, SX managed to flip him to the good side lol (their funniest portion was as they were both just hanging in that space above everything until the undying bird left SX's body to join WG and took them two riding its tail; made me laugh as I thought they were both dead but nah they were just chilling in the immortal lounge lol). All the leaders of their respective clans were great. As for villains, hands down favorite was GM aka Hannibal Lecter. Dude was the comic relief for the show; the actor nailed his character so much, the other actors would try to make impressions of him during their BTS and he would do like standup comedy for them in character. He was a trip and I personally wished he stuck around longer than say the cackle queen, I'll speak about her below. It was my first time seeing Jeremy as an antagonist and he delivered though he was only around in a few episodes. I think that could be a great niche for him if he ever returns to acting (which given the recent interview he did, isn't out of the realm of possibility, though he wants to also try directing after spending time with his family). His character HL was a tunnel visioned obsessed with love King of the Immortals who finally got his comeuppance via WG.

The battles were pretty great for the most part. The Justice League was very cool while the band of thugs were extremely cocky for their own good. Which most of the time was their undoing. The rock music during the big bad fights was the best and all costumes, sets, and even CGI I won't complain about because it was good. That last fight when WG merged with NTEX's spirit as well as that of the demons and the undying bird to finally kill HL was the best part of the entire series.

Cons: Unfortunately, though the FL (BC) started out as a strong and independent woman, she soon devolved into a whining mess whimpering "A Gou" so many times per episode it started to hurt my head. Like there were times she just needed to zip it. It seemed that was her only line for a long time. There was no chemistry between her and WG no matter how much they wanted to force it upon us. They were fantastic as brother and sister though; that's what they should have kept it as. I hoped that her possession would invigorate her character but in that one she was very robotic and when she was returned she was still a blubbering mess. Like where was the awesome, resourceful woman we met? We wanted her back! The writing was off there.

That ending was so jacked up; ok lackluster wedding whatever but then BC just up and dies in the middle in front of everyone? What even? Why? You knew she went through a lot during the final battle especially being used to build that iced transformer (that part of the battle made me roll my eyes and laugh. The cyclops and his friend vs HL in giant iced transformers was very ridiculous and thankfully short lived. Seemed like an episode filler not something important) obviously used up her life span. So why not tell WG about it sooner? Nah, it's better to tell him just before you dissipate on your wedding day in front of everyone. Just seemed heartless and out of character for her. So that entire end portion of the episode was beyond unnecessary. There were other ways for WG to walk around to the different clans and say goodbye or check up on them. They could have done it together and it would have made so much more sense as they just wanted to live in peace. And that snowman cabin last 1.5 minutes scene where the door automatically opens but there's no one there though he smiles? The open ending was a crock of BS, at least show her face smiling back at him. Was that so hard? It ended in Xianxia style though this was not that genre at all.

The cackle queen, lord help me. The actress plays a great antagonist don't get me wrong, but that voice and that cackle was horrifying. It made her sound like a Halloween store plastic wicked witch. Anytime an antagonist cackles, it completely takes away from their evilness. They need to stop writing that into series. The best villains are those like HL who can look through you and you'd get a chill up your spine. Her death was anticlimactic as I wish WG had finished it instead of HL otherwise it looked like she had a self-redemption thought process before she finally croaked.

A bit too much talking; I agree with several people. The battles needed to continue not pause for a boatload of speechifying. It would take away from the fierceness of the fight or battle. Same went for several deaths, we didn't need long speeches right beforehand from some. Also it reminded me of Snow Eagle Lord and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers when they chucked the moves on screen with giant letters; extremely unnecessary. The characters were yelling them out as is.

Would I recommend it? Despite the many cons and the unsatisfactory ending, it was still a good watch. Besides these thoughts are mine, you may feel it was great. So decide for yourselves.

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Best drama ❤️don't judge this on just 2 eps

First of all Wu geng the way he change from immature to mature and mastermind leader it's really really amazing I really like the twist in the drama which always make me excited and curious for what will happen.
This drama main focus is not romance but they have that strong bonding and love for each other that you will not see in romance drama ❤️ the way he always love and protect her and her love for him is like no can love him more than her
Ah lan and the mermaid girl also fall for Wu geng but thank God they didn't involve and separate the leads
Wu geng lost all his family , some friends but I want a very clear ending that he lives happily ever after with bai cai but iqiyi always disappoint me in Happy endings .. but I'm glad in the end bai cai come back ❤️

Bcz of the chemistry strong bond his friends and the strong story I love this drama it's so good I'm glad I watch it ❤️

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The real comic story much more interesting

The real plot of the story actually quite nice. It's just the movie talk too much, and getting more & more nonsense talk. Example, everyone before die keep asking wugeng to promise abc, and wugeng promised alot things already to many people. Rather than talking about the war situation/warning, before die they rather talk nonsense, like how long i have loved you, promise me this and that, etc. And the talk DAMN LONG. Finished talk, he/she suddenly died, fanished. ?
The drama getting too much & make it lame story.
The comic can show how wugeng get his power and his sacrifies, but in the movie..... he just brave, friendly and lucky. The wars, wugeng doesnt look like doing alot, only abit here & there.
Too bad, it can be much better.

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A REALLY GOOD DRAMA, a heroic drama yet touching with a wisdom

Burning Flames is really soaring high on the list of my FAVORITE DRAMA

As someone who watched both the anime and the drama, I dare to give 10 points to this drama, it's so well-executed!!!  I think I will write a long essay, so please bear with me.

To be honest, I underestimated this drama a little because it is an adaptation of a big IP anime (we can see that it needs a lot of cg, the anime is complicated with many characters, how can they execute it) and the drama production team is from Thousand Years For You (I was a little disappointed with that drama), but all those worries were blown away by the quality of the drama. Burning Flames. IT IS REALLY A GOOD DRAMA.

The drama is presented very well, I can't say anything else about the extraordinary CG, cinematography, and editing that is like an anime/comic, as if the anime/comic came out in a real life, plus cool fighting scenes and good color grading as well as a great ost which makes watching this drama feel exciting and you don't want to miss even a single scene.

Kudos to the script-writer for writing such a good, detailed, well-written script, and well-written characters. Burning Flames presents a solid story from start to finish, a heroic anime story, which has been successfully developed into a story which is of course heroic, but also touching, beautiful, and which definitely provides a very strong moral message for the audience, "you must control your fate, you can find your own path, only by surviving can there be hope", I think that is the rope that holds the story together from beginning to the end, until finally Wu Geng and his friends managed to win. Each arc is a moment of character development for the cast, for Wu Geng, Bai Cai and friends. Not a single arc is zero, they are written in great detail and have the goal of achieving something, to gain somethig, becoming stronger, becoming more unified.

All the characters are written very well from beginning to end, every character in this drama is written very very brilliantly, details and will shine in their own way. So, it's not only Wu Geng story, but it's also their story. Without misunderstandings, there is only work together to achieve one common goal until the end of their lives that make our hearts, the audience, also break when these heroes die. Including the villains are also written in a good way, Xinyue Kui's love which turns out to be just a futile obsession and Heilong who destroys the universe just for the person he loves, they are villains but they also feel very miserable, which also makes us feel touched and of course  makes us cry.

Wu Geng, the main character is very very well written, even better than the original anime/manga. The team changed his character in the drama, the anime version he is more arrogant and cocky (at first), but in the drama even though he is a little arrogant and impulsive but from the first day he was a benevolent prince, ready to fight for his people. Wu Geng's relationship with his parents is also changed in the drama version, and needs to be given a thumbs up, because their excellent relationship (which is very touching) is a reminder of Wu Geng's motivation that he must continue his father's legacy to save his people (this is also slightly different from the anime/bcs Wu Geng relationship with his dad wasn't good, in the anime there's a part where he does this to take revenge on his parents, but not for Wu Geng in the drama, he does it for the peace of the world, his Dad's dream for the people). Wu Geng's character growth is extraordinary, from being a spoiled prince, he had to survive as a slave, understanding the suffering of the people, had a hard training in Shenyin's tribe, gained comrades in every place, until finally he was able to show his charisma as a leader, the chosen one, the real god of war of the human race. A character who never gives up, smart, strong, and kind (who wouldn't fall for him). Until the end, even though he was considered the right leader for the 3 realms, he still humbly rejected it, and preferred to travel around the world looking for his lover, because he loved Bai Cai, because she was his home, but he would always be ready to help the world peace. I also like the change in the story of Agou, Agou in the anime is an ordinary human, but in the drama it is changed to a shell created by the Wu Geng mother to save her child (the detail is amazing). And as always, we need to praise Ren Jialun's acting a lot in this drama, because he managed to present a very expressive character, from sad, happy, angry, cheeky, gentle, even a cute, silly and innocent Agou. And we need to talk about Ren Jialun's chemistry with every of his co-stars, even with child-stars. It's really amazing. He's really a good actor.

Bai Cai is a very weak character in the anime, but was successfully transformed into a strong character in the drama with her cheerful strength, kind heart and of course Crystal Glory, who always accompanies wugeng/agou wherever and whenever they are. It is really match with Xing Fei's sunny character. I really like the addition of Crystal Glory details to Baicai, because she is one of the key contributions and links from what happened 100,000 years ago to the war in the final. Her tacit understanding with Wu Geng is also very good, she understands and accepts Wu Geng/Agou as its form, whoever it is, and will never stop being Wu Geng's support system, bein Wu Geng's home.

The relationship between Wu Geng and Bai Cai, I think it's really beautiful, a healthy relationship, without misunderstanding, always discussing everything together, "wherever you go, I'll follow". They are each other's home. Bai Cai has no family and Agao is his home, while Wu Geng lost his family and he met Bai Cai who kindly helped him, supported him, was willing to protect him, endured Wu Geng's tantrums, until she succeeded in making Wu Geng fall in love and she is his home now, "whatever happens, I will always protect you forever."  The mutual trust and understanding of this couple is extraordinary.  So every time they part, we can feel the pain they feel and every time they meet again we can feel the touching butterfly effect (it's not a romance drama, but I do feel their romance, their relationship, their bond is very strong, once again bravo to the scriptwriter). And I can say that Ren Jialun and Xing Fei's chemistry in this second collaboration is truly extraordinary, is very good, is very beautiful.

A Lan (I fall so hard for this girl), if everyone has 2nd ML syndrome, I have 2nd FL syndrome.  I love her character so much. She who was previously cold in the anime, was changed to a character who (although also cold) is also an ordinary woman who likes a man, and will very sincerely protect him, not only because Wu Geng is her mission, her disciple, but also a man who really she loved. She will do everything to keep the person she loved safe and happy, even though she won't be able to be with him and she knows there is no place to ask for love because she believes that love between humans and gods is a curse and she knows Wu Geng loves Bai Cai, if she expresses her love, him will also be hurt more. Silent and unrequited love is indeed a very beautiful love story and I always fall into its pit. And what's more, Ren Jialun and Zhu Xudan's chemistry is insanee, just when their eyes met each other, there is a spark of feeling that cannot be expressed. Ren Jialun was able to portrays his adore, respect and care to his shifu, while Zhu Xudan was really good at portraying her love in silence. "I will protect you even if I die" and she really did, protecting Wu Geng until the end of her life. I cried so hard when she's gone.

If talking about each character (though I really want to do it) would be very long, Nitian Erxing, Ziyu shushu, Shi Xing and also every couple in this drama is also written very well and touches the hearts of the viewers. Plus the family relationship between Wu Geng itself and his parents, Chen Jing and Zha Zha, Lilt Dragonfly and her father, also shows the value of human's relationships with our family and the people we love.

The end of the story, I'll say that the last 4 episodes are the best episodes, feelings of sadness, destruction, pride, happiness, all mixed together. So devastated to see Wu Geng's dearest ones fighting until the end of their lives with their beliefs that they would win. Proud because of all the work they worked hard on, they finally won, they gained their freedom. Sad to see Wu Geng once again lost his beloved one, Bai Cai. Happy, because I know Wu Geng managed to find Bai Cai in the end (I know that they will live a happy life now, though actually I want to see their hug even just 1 in the ending).  Even though Wu Geng lost many of his loved ones, he still upholds all the moral messages left by them and will always maintain the world peace. Burning Flames really has a GOOD ENDING. It's also not a rush ending, because they show how good the life of each tribe is, how beautiful life will be after they gain freedom and peace.

I still want to talk about a lot of things, but it will get longer. Burning Flames team aims to give a moral message to the audience, and I agree that there are many moral messages with much wisdom, that we can take from this drama, never give up, we control our destiny, if there's a will there's a way, if we become leaders put people first, we have to protect our loved ones and so on. It's really nice, beautiful, heroic yet touching drama.

This drama is included in the ranks of the best dramas on my list, I do love this drama so much. Congratulations Burning Flames, I'm proud to have been a part of your journey. I will miss you guys so much, our HEROES ♡

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It is so engaging

As for me, I will easily drop dramas, especially chinese historicals. Overall I completed only 2 chinese historical so far, even though I tried watching many. I am sure this will be the third one. First of all, fantasy, supernatural are so my type also, i really liked the story. I started this since Xing fei is in it. Y'all,unlike somany others who only has looks, she is really talented in acting.Also the all cast is just on fire, as for Allen, Do I have to say? He is an ace. This is my first drama of Zhu Xu dan and the SML I had watched his To ship someone, he is also very good. The role of Xin yue kui and Gui mu is extraordinary?.So trust me this is worth watching!!!

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Your Fate is in your hands

If you're looking for a script with a strong storyline and adventurous plot, this one is for you. It's been a while since I saw a drama with a captivating story, and this drama has everything: the value of friendship, teamwork, no silly misunderstandings, anguish, romance, and everything you'd want in a perfect drama.

The main lead, Wu Geng, starts as an impulsive fallen young prince filled with hatred towards the immortals. He transforms into a responsible individual whose goal is not just to engage in battle but to save the people of the three realms, which includes the immortals also. Every encounter he has during his journey teaches him valuable lessons. Being a true king is not just about ruling but also about forever living in the hearts of the people. Those who were against him in the beginning turn out to be his allies in the end, all because of his pure heart and selflessness. Every area in the story has its own objectives and goals, from the Xin Kingdom to the mine camp, and so on...

The best thing about this drama is the character development. It's not only the main leads but also the supporting characters whose development is well thought out. I didn't expect to feel pity for our evil queen.

Now, coming to the love story...

Wu Geng and Bai Cai's love story has clear depth and foundation. I can't find words to describe how beautiful it is. Despite not being powerful, Bai Cai tries her best to help Wu Geng in every situation, protecting him and stopping his impulsive behaviors. She becomes his strength. For Wu Geng, after losing his parents and kingdom, Bai Cai becomes his family and makes him a better person.

As for the ending...

Bai Cai tries her best to be with Wu Geng until the end, and Wu Geng can let go of everything in the world except for Bai Cai. Their love is built on faith and trust. Wu Geng knows that one day he will find Bai Cai, and he never loses hope. I like how they ended the drama. Wu Geng always wished for a warm home with Bai Cai by his side. In the end, he meets her again in the small house where he first met her and becomes her A Gau. It's a perfect ending.

A Lan and the mermaid girl are the strongest and most selfless characters. I like how they confess their love to Wu Geng despite knowing they can't be with him.

The only negative point for me is that I can't with the CGI fight scenes; I always skip them.

overall i enjoyed a lot..

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Fighting for the freedom of innocent people amidst the chaos in the 3 realms

I've been anticipating this drama since its filming wrapped up. Xuanhuan has been one of my favorite genres and this drama surpassed my expectation. It isn't your ordinary Xuanhuan drama, but an EXTRAORDINARY one.

In the next paragraphs, I will explain every arc in this drama (note this as a MAJOR SPOILER). If you don't want to be spoiled, you can skip the whole part regarding the plot. Here we go...

1) Xin Country arc
The first arc mainly introduces the main characters and the first war between humans and immortals. This war was spearheaded by Wu Geng's parents - Xin King and Xinyue Hu. Unfortunately, both of them sacrificed themselves for the country to fight Hei Long. Before his mother died, she transported Wu Geng's soul to A Gou's body. For your information, A Gou is a shred of Wu Geng's divine power and he currently stayed together with a mortal girl called Bai Cai.

2) Bloodstone Mine arc
Wu Geng and Bai Cai accidentally got caught in the capital when he took her for some treatment. Then, they were forced to labour jobs/enslaved with numerous unwilling citizens in the bloodstone mine. Together with other slaves, they healed each other's wound and became to understand each other's feelings. Finally, Wu Geng succeeded in helping the slaves escaping from the mine.

3) Shenyin Village arc
Wu Geng and Bai Cai were taken to Shenyin Village by his grandpa Fu Xi. There, they met many immortals who previously rebelled against the immortal realm. This is the arc where Bai Cai's real identity started to leak. The immortals ambushed the village because of the cackle queen Xinyue Kui and Bai Cai was kidnapped by the hell immortal, Shi Xing. Wu Geng together with his mentor, Ah Lan, set out to save Bai Cai.

4) King's City arc
Wu Geng confronted Shi Xing and he won against him. Bai Cai managed to lift a curse out of Shi Xing after their battle. Shi Xing's backstory is explained here and it is indeed heart-wrenching. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. This is also the place where Wu Geng reunited with his uncle, Zi Yu.

5) Demon Realm arc
Wu Geng, Bai Cai, and Ah Lan were invited to the demon realm, shortly after the thunder god Zhui Ri attacked Wu Geng. At the demon realm, Wu Geng stroke up a friendship bond with the grand marshal of the demon clan, Ni Tian Er Xing and also helped the demons got rid of their petrification sickness.

6) Bai Country arc
Wu Geng and his friends returned to their home and found that many things have happened recently. In this arc, the cackle queen kept trying to possess Bai Cai due to Bai Cai's ancient divine power which could be of good use to the immortals. Bai Cai soon lost control and became the dark Bai Cai.

7) Sea Realm arc
Wu Geng was saved by a mermaid called Bei Er after Bai Cai threw him off the cliff. In the sea ream, Wu Geng was acknowledged by the ancestor of the Sea Spirit Clan.

8) Illusion Island arc
To prepare for the second war against the immortals, Wu Geng took his soldiers to cultivate qi at the Illusion Island under the guidance of Uncle Zi Yu.

9) Immortal Realm arc
Yes, this is the ending of the drama. There are a lot of heavy casualties at both sides. As usual, hero will always win in the end. After Hei Long died, the war was finished. As for the wedding, it was unnecessary. Nobody in their right mind would marry a dying person, right? (just teasing)

Romance is just a subplot in this drama as it focuses more on the characters' growth and development. The leads have siblings-like chemistry and it's already enough to my liking.

Wu Geng can be considered as a good leader who always put his people on top of himself. Despite his good leadership, fighting courage and resilience, he's also a cunning trickster who can easily manipulate and trick people into believing fake evidences.

The only aspect that I like from Bai Cai is her cheerful personality. Aside from that, I think she's a damsel in distress, always whining A Gou until I got tired of it. At first glance, she appeared as a sunny and headstrong girl. But, as the story progresses, she becomes you-know-what. Anyway, the evil Bai Cai is the best, I must say.

To save this review from being a long essay, I will just skip the rest of the characters. Just in case, I'm going to list out the MVP of this drama below:
1. Ni Tian Er Xing (he's slaying very much and I watch this to support him, haha)
2. Shi Xing (his backstory is the best)
3. Hei Long (turning the world upside down just tor revive his beloved. Well, he's slaying too. I love his styling)
4. Xinyue Kui (the cackle queen that people hate the most)
5. Uncle Zi Yu (one of the key figures who encourage Wu Geng to become stronger)

The OSTs are chef's kiss and I can't help but playing it on and on at my Spotify. The lyrics are very meaningful compared to those energetic K-Pop songs I used to listen.

Overall, a 10 out of 10. Give this a shot and you won't regret investing your time in this drama. Despite some minor flaws, it still deserves a 10 from me. Don't forget to rate it if you've completed, because this drama deserves more than 8.0 rating.

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