anitfa
A tragedy wuxia. There are more tears than blood, more manipulation than actual combat.
I watched this drama to explore and appreciate Luo Yunxi's acting skill after watching him in Till The End of The Moon (2023) and Love is Sweet (2020). If you come to this drama for this reason, you won't be disappointed. Playing the ML, Shangguan Tuo, he is really skilled in managing emotional scenes as well as fight scenes, his facial expressions and gestures was on point. In addition, in this drama and his previous Runyu role in Ashes of Love (2018), Luo Yunxi has the best physical appearance (not too thin yet), IMO. He is definitely the king of costume drama. Wearing traditional clothes, his handsomeness and elegance is off the chart.
***
Many viewers gave pretty low rating for this drama and I understand the reason. Without great patience, you won't survive this drama "boringness". Over the span of 48 episodes, under the tag of a wuxia, there are only few actions to enjoy. Instead of action, there are tons of talks about love and hate, jianghu politics, and mystery to solve. If you don't have the flexibility to change your expectation and set new watching goals midway, there are nothing left for you. You'd better drop this title and save your precious time. However, if you are able to realize the message the drama intends to convey, stay watching and you will reap the gem in episode after episode.
I like to focus more on the story. Actually, this drama is pretty good at lying the foundation for the main conflict. The conflict is not straightforward and is built up slowly. In early episodes, we think that the story is about FL's (Chong Wuezhi, played by Yukee Chen) quest to reconcile with other sects in jianghu who have grudge to her sect, Hall of Flame, and clear her father's name. However, the water is more deep than that with the introduction of Prince Lu (played by Patrick Quan) from the imperial palace.
Prince Lu is an impossible antagonist and villain. He is weak and sick, but has big ambition to control the jianghu. His power is immense because he is super intelligent to to collude with certain sects and achieve his goal. He is the master of manipulation. The Hall of Flame is just one of his victims. More interestingly, Prince Lu has a sound philosophy to commit his crime. He doesn't seek the throne like typical villains in wuxia-palace drama. He wants to maintain order in the land and increase palace control over chaotic jianghu. It makes an impression that he is the righteous one.
The story sets in the context where martial arts sects were flourishing but competing to one each others. The competition to be the strongest and greatest creates distress for society. Previously, the traditional relationship between palace/ government and jianghu is non intervening. Jianghu has the freedom to do whatever the sects want without government intervention, but people of jianghu is forbidden to participate in palace politics and imperial family business. The goal of people of jianghu is to achieve the greatness in martial arts, to be the strongest and the most influential among sects. Sometimes in the process, some people are killed and it creates grudge and prolonged blood feuds. From government point of view, this feud breaks peacefulness. The main goal of government is to maintain order by the rule of laws, but with traditional norm of non-intervention, government cannot punish people of jianghu to stop the disorder.
Prince Lu is the actor who wants to change this chaotic situation, in order to help his emperor father of Crown Prince brother in the future. Till this point, his reason is acceptable. Unfortunately, he solves this problem with suppression and unjustifiable killing too. For him, the sects are just the pawns, are disposable anytime. Later, after the death of his beloved wife, he experiences mental break down and turn to be a tyrant. He blames his life tragedy to Shangguan Tou and eagers to kill him and Chong Xuezhi who always try to stop him. His personal goal changes to be the controller of jianghu. He wants the power himself.
For me, the villain in this drama (Prince Lu) is the best in the wuxia so far. It is far better than Prince Red in popular Blood of Youth (2022), or even a drama with the similar vibe, The Flame's Daughter (2018), which the villains are just a brainless psycho. Prince Lu is a master of go and always several steps ahead. Several times, he causes desperation for the protagonists and set them into traps. Also, from the perspective of villain, it is very potential for a great plot twist. In the end, Prince Lu's crimes are exposed but he is just punished lightly, no beheading or exile or removal from princedom. It makes me suspect that actually the emperor knows the crime and quietly supports it by letting Prince Lu did what he did.
The story would be better if the author/ writer not easily let such a great villain to be crazy in the end. It is okay to suffer depression from the loss of beloved wife who doesn't understand his duty to his imperial father. This tragedy should be his moral reason to be more determined to control jianghu and strengthen the government power. He is the one who sacrifice for the future of the empire. From the palace perspective, he is the hero. From jianghu perspective, he is the villain.
However, this potential to improve the story is loss. Simply, because the story is using jianghu perspective. It doesn't try to balance the perspective. It is showed from the imbalance representatives. Too many people from jianghu are told, but less from the imperial family and government. It would be good to see how the emperor feel threatened as well as saddened by his trusted Imperial Advisor who has lenient view about the jianghu and let his son, Shangguan Tuo, to be part of jianghu, after his brothers leave him for the jianghu. It would be good to see Prince Lu the weak as the most filial, who is willing to live in faraway province to help his father and Crown Prince by doing the dirty works. If we have the balances view, it would bring more lesson for the ML and FL. After they win the struggle to free jianghu from Prince Lu's crimes, they should take more active role in strengthening the character of jianghu people, to prevent another chaotic period in history. But, in the end, FL leaves her sect and choose to live in seclusion with ML. With the power they have, they turn to be selfish and think only about their own happiness.
So, you know. I love this drama because of the complex villain. Even tough the potential is wasted, it enriches our imagination what future villain should be written. It is boring to see one-dimensional villain or crazy villain. The real villain is often normal people who have love, reason, and moral too, like the heroes. It is just their way to solve problem to be different from the heroes.
I hope in the future, there will be a drama that can portray a quality villain story. I hope there will be a writer that creates a grand story in which the right and wrong is not that easy to define, that concerns not only the love among man and women, but also the well-being of overall society, to take a certain social issue as the focus of the story.
***
Many viewers gave pretty low rating for this drama and I understand the reason. Without great patience, you won't survive this drama "boringness". Over the span of 48 episodes, under the tag of a wuxia, there are only few actions to enjoy. Instead of action, there are tons of talks about love and hate, jianghu politics, and mystery to solve. If you don't have the flexibility to change your expectation and set new watching goals midway, there are nothing left for you. You'd better drop this title and save your precious time. However, if you are able to realize the message the drama intends to convey, stay watching and you will reap the gem in episode after episode.
I like to focus more on the story. Actually, this drama is pretty good at lying the foundation for the main conflict. The conflict is not straightforward and is built up slowly. In early episodes, we think that the story is about FL's (Chong Wuezhi, played by Yukee Chen) quest to reconcile with other sects in jianghu who have grudge to her sect, Hall of Flame, and clear her father's name. However, the water is more deep than that with the introduction of Prince Lu (played by Patrick Quan) from the imperial palace.
Prince Lu is an impossible antagonist and villain. He is weak and sick, but has big ambition to control the jianghu. His power is immense because he is super intelligent to to collude with certain sects and achieve his goal. He is the master of manipulation. The Hall of Flame is just one of his victims. More interestingly, Prince Lu has a sound philosophy to commit his crime. He doesn't seek the throne like typical villains in wuxia-palace drama. He wants to maintain order in the land and increase palace control over chaotic jianghu. It makes an impression that he is the righteous one.
The story sets in the context where martial arts sects were flourishing but competing to one each others. The competition to be the strongest and greatest creates distress for society. Previously, the traditional relationship between palace/ government and jianghu is non intervening. Jianghu has the freedom to do whatever the sects want without government intervention, but people of jianghu is forbidden to participate in palace politics and imperial family business. The goal of people of jianghu is to achieve the greatness in martial arts, to be the strongest and the most influential among sects. Sometimes in the process, some people are killed and it creates grudge and prolonged blood feuds. From government point of view, this feud breaks peacefulness. The main goal of government is to maintain order by the rule of laws, but with traditional norm of non-intervention, government cannot punish people of jianghu to stop the disorder.
Prince Lu is the actor who wants to change this chaotic situation, in order to help his emperor father of Crown Prince brother in the future. Till this point, his reason is acceptable. Unfortunately, he solves this problem with suppression and unjustifiable killing too. For him, the sects are just the pawns, are disposable anytime. Later, after the death of his beloved wife, he experiences mental break down and turn to be a tyrant. He blames his life tragedy to Shangguan Tou and eagers to kill him and Chong Xuezhi who always try to stop him. His personal goal changes to be the controller of jianghu. He wants the power himself.
For me, the villain in this drama (Prince Lu) is the best in the wuxia so far. It is far better than Prince Red in popular Blood of Youth (2022), or even a drama with the similar vibe, The Flame's Daughter (2018), which the villains are just a brainless psycho. Prince Lu is a master of go and always several steps ahead. Several times, he causes desperation for the protagonists and set them into traps. Also, from the perspective of villain, it is very potential for a great plot twist. In the end, Prince Lu's crimes are exposed but he is just punished lightly, no beheading or exile or removal from princedom. It makes me suspect that actually the emperor knows the crime and quietly supports it by letting Prince Lu did what he did.
The story would be better if the author/ writer not easily let such a great villain to be crazy in the end. It is okay to suffer depression from the loss of beloved wife who doesn't understand his duty to his imperial father. This tragedy should be his moral reason to be more determined to control jianghu and strengthen the government power. He is the one who sacrifice for the future of the empire. From the palace perspective, he is the hero. From jianghu perspective, he is the villain.
However, this potential to improve the story is loss. Simply, because the story is using jianghu perspective. It doesn't try to balance the perspective. It is showed from the imbalance representatives. Too many people from jianghu are told, but less from the imperial family and government. It would be good to see how the emperor feel threatened as well as saddened by his trusted Imperial Advisor who has lenient view about the jianghu and let his son, Shangguan Tuo, to be part of jianghu, after his brothers leave him for the jianghu. It would be good to see Prince Lu the weak as the most filial, who is willing to live in faraway province to help his father and Crown Prince by doing the dirty works. If we have the balances view, it would bring more lesson for the ML and FL. After they win the struggle to free jianghu from Prince Lu's crimes, they should take more active role in strengthening the character of jianghu people, to prevent another chaotic period in history. But, in the end, FL leaves her sect and choose to live in seclusion with ML. With the power they have, they turn to be selfish and think only about their own happiness.
So, you know. I love this drama because of the complex villain. Even tough the potential is wasted, it enriches our imagination what future villain should be written. It is boring to see one-dimensional villain or crazy villain. The real villain is often normal people who have love, reason, and moral too, like the heroes. It is just their way to solve problem to be different from the heroes.
I hope in the future, there will be a drama that can portray a quality villain story. I hope there will be a writer that creates a grand story in which the right and wrong is not that easy to define, that concerns not only the love among man and women, but also the well-being of overall society, to take a certain social issue as the focus of the story.
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