Fangs of Fortune (2024)

Absolute Master piece and The drama of the year!

I love watching fantasy, suspense and adventurous dramas and this drama is giving me everything I love and more!!! Its easily the best drama that has surfaced this year.

The cast whether they are male or female are doing stunning jobs portraying their characters so spectacularly and perfectly. I can't fail to mention that all the cast is full of gorgeous and beautiful actors and actresses which makes this drama even more captivating. The villains are extremely cunning and powerful and so it increases the chaos and difficulty of the problems the main characters have to face.

I love the complicated yet adorable romance between Wen and ZYZ. Also the complicated but very admirable friendship between ZYC and ZYZ, it warms my heart everytime and I enjoy their progress from enemies to bros/ friends . The love/hate story between LiLun and ZYZ is really intriguing and mysterious. Their story of bros to enemies is unfolding slowly but surely. Also all the other team members' back stories are incredibly interesting. There is always something to find out and explore about each character, their back ground, their behaviour, their choices and emotions. The bromance between the members and the sismance is also blowing my mind up. Its so adorable, bittersweet, funny and exciting.

All the characters are showing emotions and expressions incredibly well so you feel emotionally attached to their life and fate. I love the humour of the characters and chaotic energy they display, it's really fun to see their funny interactions. The chemistry of all the team members is impeccably smooth.

The story is extremely gripping and suspenseful. I love how the mysterious cases are revealing important past stories and are related to main cast one way or another.

The gorgeous costumes, top cenimatrography, beautiful fight cheography, all environment settings and the sound/visual effects were mind-blowing!! Its one of the best dramas I have ever seen. The OSTs are incredibly beautiful and heart warming.

Overall I'm in love with this drama and don't want it to finish ever! I'm savoring this extremely satisfying experience. I feel the pace of the drama is not too slow or not too fast. Its just right. Everyday I eagerly wait for the next episode. I hope watchers give it fair chance and watch it till end.

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visually gorgeous, but still missing something

Opening this review by saying that I love this director's works and My Journey To You is, to this day, one of my favourite c-dramas ever, so, needless to say, I waited for SO long for this show to finally air. My high expectations basically hit the sky.
The aesthetic, sceneries and cinematography of Fangs of Fortune don't come as a surprise: they are simply gorgeous and I really can't think of other dramas (during this or in the previous years) that are equal to it (except, of course, for this director's other works).
He always has a clear and fixed idea of how things should be shot and how they should look and, so far, it's always been consistent. Just one look at one scene and the viewers can immediately tell it's one of his works.
That's what hooked me with MJTY and I was just all too happy seeing it in this drama as well. C-dramas often tend to have “issues” with the cinematography, the lightning and colouring, the camera work (let alone the CGI), so when it comes to this area, Fangs of Fortune is already a level above the others and it looks so good and professional and eerie in the best possible way.
I admit, the ghostly white powder on the actors' faces always kind of takes me aback, because it's very VERY pale and in certain shots they either look like corpses or, thanks to skin smoothing as well, you can't really see their full expressions, but in this case it fits the tone of the drama and I think a different make-up would look weird and too much in contrast with the dark aesthetic.
Wigs and costumes are of very high quality and the texture, the details (ex. the fish scales in the fish demon's robes) the colours, EVERYTHING, really set them apart and a lot above others costume dramas... costumes.
Every character has its own styling and the outfits and hairstyles really help with making them all the more unique and alive. The stylist department really deserves all the appreciation and an award for their work.
If not for the plot and the characters themselves, I'd recommend this drama just for how good it looks.
(Little parenthesis for the soundtrack: it really works. I read comments where people were not happy with it, back when the show still had to air, but so far so good. Especially the modern song they use during fight scenes. Unexpectedly, it fits with the vibe and choreography of those sequences and it brings them out even more. When I think of the OST, that's the very first song that comes to mind, so it really left a good impression on me).
Now.
Onto the things that still don't sit quite right with me and the reason I scored this one a 7.5 (for now, will most likely change it as I watch more episodes – hopefully).
First of all, especially in the first couple of episodes, the scenes are way too jumpy and “messy”, so much so that I had to replay a couple of parts because I couldn't really understand certain things and the show just lost me. Was it a dream? A memory/flashback? The way it's edited and quickly jumps from A to B back to A is very confusing. They're not smooth cuts.
Granted, it got better in the last episode I watched (ep.5), so it's probably just a problem of the first part and it got fixed as it went on. Again, hopefully.
The second thing is the humour. Most of the times it actually gets a giggle out of me (the actors' comedic timing is always on point and their expressions alone are enough to make the joke work) and it's just in such contrast with the somber scene at play in that moment that it somehow works very well and I can only appreciate it. But some other times... they REALLY play into it, to the point that it feels kinda weird and out of place. Cringe, even. To make an example: the way the young boy, Bai Jiu, keeps screaming or fainting. After a while it gets repetitive, old, and his character doesn't feel real anymore. Hope he'll hit some character growth and won't shout as much. I really liked young master Xue's character in MJTY and, albeit so young, that actor really can play more serious roles.
Humour in this kind of dramas is a fine line to walk and I think, up to this moment, MJTY kept that balance a lot better.
Third thing, which is mainly what caused the 7.5, is something I cannot quite explain with words, but I can't help feeling whenever I'm watching this drama: a sense of emptiness. Of something missing, not being there.
It's really more of a personal feeling, but there are certain scenes where I really can't help but feel like I'm watching something empty, like something should be there, but isn't. Like I'm reading the draft of a book and some paragraphs are still missing or aren't finished yet. Where MJTY felt more organic and grounded, FoF is a lot more staged, a gorgeous cover wrapped around blank pages.
Sometimes it has to do with the scene in general, sometimes with the way it cuts from one shot to the other, the lack of music and overall sound or just the characters. I know they are interacting with each other, but it's as if there's this wall that divides them. One thing that really irks me is how often (especially the villains) they just... stand there and let the main leads finish their thing, whether it's talking among themselves or preparing for action.
It's still the very beginning, though, so it'll probably smooth out and feel more natural and complete with the episodes to come, but right now it all feels too disjointed, especially when the narration clearly slows down or stops altogether to focus on the appearance of the characters or the beauty of a certain shot.
(I know this criticism basically goes against my praises of the aesthetic and cinematography of this director's works, but I can't deny he can be VERY pretentious and all too often puts looks above substance).
I still don't have much to say about the characters themselves, because we still don't know them much yet, but some impressed me more than others and for others I hope they'll grow and get better with time.
I'm very curious about Zhuo Yichen, although Tian Jiarui's performance so far is a little... lukewarm, when compared with the work he did on Gong Yuanzhi in MJTY. I like how Yichen can be both fierce and shy/awkward, but he didn't give much aside for that (so far). I know he's a more than capable actor, so I'm sure the character will grow on me, but right now... not there yet. It probably also depends on the way the make-up and hairstyle always make his expression look very tight, as if he can't move his face much - or just got a face lift. But, aside from that, I'm curious to find out who he really is. I have this headcanon where he is, in fact, a demon, given his blue eyes and his whispery voice (I noticed only demons have it, which is a nice touch and detail) and the constant nightmare of becoming one. I want to see whether I'm right or wrong.
I was pleasantly surprised with two performances so far: Neo Hou and Chen Duling.
I always found Neo Hou's acting to be quite stiff and struggled a lot not to see the actor beneath the character, so I am impressed in the best of ways with this role. He is shining and brings Zhu Yan to life. And although at times the character himself isn't very consistent with the way he acts and reacts, he really works for me and got me hooked from the very beginning. Hope we'll get to see more of his layers, like his darker and more serious and dangerous side, but also his sensible and “sad” personality, because he really wishes to die and I really want to 1) know why and 2) see HOW the actor will showcase this part of the character.
For Chen Duling, I've only seen her in two other works, where she played either a minor role or a supporting role, but in both cases she was nothing but a woman who fell into sadness and depression because of her lost lover, so I was a bit worried about Wen Xiao. But I really love her so far and she's really growing on me. Right now I can easily say she's my favourite among the main roles.
Last but not least, I hope we'll get some proper world building this time around. This director's works always tend to lack a lot on this department and so far the world of FoF hasn't been fleshed out that much. Granted, I'm only at episode five as I'm writing this review, but I was really confused at the wheres and how much time it takes to move from place x to place y.
I wish they gave us an impression of space and moving spaces like, for example, Mysterious Lotus Casebook did. Its world building isn't much richer and extended, but it has some substance at least and the characters won't just appear back at a certain place (ex. the archives of the bureau) as if through sci-fi teleportation.

I think that's all for now. Might come back to this once the drama is complete.

- Mei

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A Must Watch!

Brilliant! I have never liked a fantasy cdrama before. But this one changed my perspective on Chinese drama, its VFX and its production. I mean, even the makeup and costume are so meticulously well done that it left me in absolute awe! Masterpiece for sure.
I am super impressed with the actors who pulled off such great acting. I am in love with every character's gradual growth in finding their way.
I like ZYZ's confidence and his depth of understanding of every situation. The layers in his character are intriguing. Love every bit so far. His character is stuck between a rock and a hard place. The complexities are intense, but the relationship with his friends is so strong and fascinating that he may have some hope. The eventual realisation that he does not want to die, after all, is built perfectly in the story.

Overall, there are a few loopholes that I am not quite sure of, but it does not affect my 10/10 score. I just love understanding these well-written characters.

P.S.: In love with the end credits song and dance. Indeed, it is a breath of fresh air. Whoever thought of it is a genius!!!! This is the first time that I did not skip the end credits. Thank you for this

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Fangs of fortune! Totally worth the wait!

I have been waiting for months and months until the release of FOF! And it was totally worth it!
I knew that some of the cast members of My Journey to You was in this drama but had no idea that practically everyone from MJTY was in the drama except for the main leads of MJTY.
The FOF drama has a good mix of everything! Mystery, thriller, comedy, horror and they have managed to keep it just right without overdoing it. Zhu Yan and Yichen make a great duo, each trying to throw the worst possible insult at the other lol, but also secretly value their friendship just as much. The friendship between the Goddess and Ms Pei is adorable, and our Mountain God and doctor duo makes the tragic scenes a bit more bearable. Somehow all the characters on the team fit really well together!
I love that each of the demon-human cases and storyline in the drama have a good screentime. It doesn’t drag on, and the episodes cover what's necessary without glossing over the details too much.
Neo has perfectly mastered the Great demon serene all-knowing look and you really feel like he is thousands of years old! The Great demon and Goddess do have a certain aloofness about themselves which adds to their character really well. Afterall they aren't human, and Zhu Yan has limited bandwidth where emotions are concerned. Some people might think the pacing is a bit slow, but tbh I think it really fits the theme and asthetics of the drama!
The only thing they could have cut down on was too many OSTs in between episodes, sometimes simple bgm could have worked as well. But overall 10/10 from me!
Give this drama a try! You won't regret it!

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One word: BRILLIANT

Tl;dr: I highly recommend, especially if you're into the demons and magic fantasy. Amazing frames, exceptional soundtrack, incredible mood setting.

As per usual, I expected something quite different, based on the teasers (I don't really read summaries, if I do, I forget what the drama is about lol). I thought it would be a great demon bewitching regular people with fever dreams, a storyline composed of multiple single stories. I do LOVE what they did with this drama.
First thing hitting me in ep. 1 were the incredible frames and environment. The huge, huge spaces of the Demon Hunting Bureau, where you feel so small because it is so huge and yet so big because it looks like inside a mini copy of a city. The gardens, the rooms, the exteriors, just wow.
The color grading of the frames. I have seen quite many c-dramas by now, but I have not seen any drama do such exceptional mood setting for each and every frame. Some parts are warm tones because they are funny or uplifting, the other parts are grey and dark because there's action and drama. Just genius work.
The soundtrack??? I'm not an OST person, but this OST really hits home for me. This is the second drama where I really like the soundtrack and can immerse into the lyrics and music. This drama has in fact my most favourite soundtrack so far. It sounds so grand, so emotional, just really, really beautiful.
The casting. I will always prefer to watch Neo Hou as a thousands years old demon/god/mythical creature in a human form. His facial features are ageless, he can make his face very soft and also very sharp. He was a fantastic casting option. From the rest of the cast, I have seen Chen Du Ling and Gulnezer Bextiyar before (I knew also Yan An and Cheng Xiao, just have not seen them in dramas before). I love that Chen Du Ling is a very strong FL here. Gulnezer Bextiyar is forever a goddess. I absolutely adore the rest of the cast too, everyone is so good in their character.
The comedy. I really did not expect this drama to have comedy, I totally expected just darkness without a glimmer of hope. The comedy element was very refreshing. Bai Jiu's screams, Ying Lei's personality, Zhu Yan's pranks, really really loved it.
I'm currently at ep. 26, we are having a little Team Crisis™ since ep. 23. I'd have preferred a smooth sailing, but I guess it would have been boring. There are twists and turns in the plot, they are never out of character. There is usually a small foreshadowing. I hope that the ending will be satisfactory to me. Even if it won't be, I think won't be mad (I'll add an ETA when I'm finished).
This is the first drama where I put a 10/10 for rewatch value. I'd rewatch it for the soundtrack and aesthetics especially and pretty much everything I wrote above.

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Best Cdrama of 2024 For Me.

I like everything about this drama the music the acting.
I really like the bond between zyz and zyc frist zyc hate zyz then they become best friend slowly and I like the chemistry between wx and zyz and also like the story between zyz and lilun and their costumes is awesome specially zyz costumes and the cases is not boring in this drama as compared to mlcb overall it's good drama but I don't like one thing is that male zyz screentime in latest episodes is so few.
I really like evil switch of zyz hou minghao is a great actor his expression is excellent and I'm waiting for his upcoming dramas.

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Worth to watch. The best cinematography and CGs.

I have been waiting for this drama since its trailer is released. The actings are superb especially Neo, ML. He is so different in here as he always acted bubbly characters. So it’s refreshing to see his another side. All actors and actresses have chemistry. No one is left out.
As the story wise, FL is so weak (who doesn’t possess power if she doesn’t have tool) except her goddess identity, I don’t think she deserves FL position. She has her good points tho. She is calm, rational, doesn’t always stay on the side of humans, empathize on some good demons, not blinded by emotions and knows how to handle love and hate. Maybe that’s why she became FL. Love the actress tho. It’s Chen Duling’s acting skill that FL is not hated and too annoying to watch.
The best point is the scenes! This kind of cinematography, using dark tone is rare to see in Chinese dramas. CGs are so amazing.
The story is fast pacing, not boring and fun to watch. But a little hypocrite from the side of humans.
Recommended to watch this.

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A spell binding journey through demons and destiny....

"Fangs of Fortune is a captivating fantasy historical drama that follows Zhu Yan, an age old demon as he joins the demon-hunting bureau to help capture the various demons that have escaped into the human realm. This chaos ensues after the disappearance of the Bai Ze Order, which was responsible for maintaining the balance between the human and demon worlds following the tragic death of the Bai Ze goddess. With demons now running rampant, the formation of the demon-hunting squad becomes crucial.

Throughout the story, Zhu Yan meets a diverse group of characters, and together they confront the challenges posed by these escaped demons. The plot is intriguing and exciting, and I appreciate how the narrative weaves multiple storylines without spoiling the overall experience. Each subplot contributes to the main narrative, introducing a wealth of interesting characters along the way. The acting is good; most of the characters have managed to deliver subtle yet impactful performances that enhance the overall storytelling.

The interactions among the characters are fascinating to watch, showcasing their amazing chemistry. I particularly enjoy the random comedy moments sprinkled throughout the show; while they might seem off-putting to some, I find them timely and essential for lightening the mood. The drama itself is visually stunning, with beautiful aesthetics, impressive cinematography, and captivating CGI. The costume designs for the various characters are equally remarkable. All of this is complemented by upbeat soundtracks and soothing background music that enhance the viewing experience."

So far...it's a captivating watch.

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The Most Entertaining Watch This Year!

If you are a huge fan of director Guo Jing Ming, you will notice two things about his shows/movies- firstly the cinematography is brilliant, his productions are magnificent and the locations are stunning. Secondly, the characters in his storylines are as queer as they can be; even though heavily censored, their queerness doesn’t diminish. How he surpasses Chinese censorship with such characters is still a hidden secret, but at least his stories don’t meet the same abysmal ending that most BL adaptations do. That’s the power Guo Jing Ming yields; his “Fangs of Fortune” is no different. The storyline revolves around a sarcastic 34000 years demon who comes back from retirement to annoy the demon hunters at the demon hunting bureau. What could be the odds that a powerful demon would wish to work with his arch enemy? As the show delves deeper into this question, we are introduced to a potboiler of character leads, each with a backstory of their own. As our powerful demon exudes his own potential, addresses issues while working with the demon hunting team, they grow closer. This show has strong themes of bromance and sismance; so beware, it might seem like everyone is dating everyone while being a huge family. There is really no excuse or explanation for their queer behaviors; if you are a BL fan, then jump on this bandwagon as soon as possible!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/11/01/fangs-of-fortune-first-impressions/#more-1292

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One Of The Best If 2024

I am all in with this drama. I see some people are disappointed because it has humor and wanted it to be dark the entire show. You HAVE to have the relief from the darkness to enjoy it when you are traveling through it. Genius director and script writer(s). Episode 9 had me so enthralled that I got irritated at my dog for wanting to go outside to relieve herself. Thankfully I can push pause and miss nothing. The title is misleading because I thought this was about vampires and almost didn't watch it. I can't rave about this drama too much. The guest actors are so great to watch. The leads and 2nd leads including the young boy, make this drama worth your time. I have laughed, I have cried and I want more episodes than just 2 per day. Don't miss this one.

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