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justjacky

Drama Land

justjacky

Drama Land
The Legend of Shen Li chinese drama review
Completed
The Legend of Shen Li
7 people found this review helpful
by justjacky
Apr 7, 2024
39 of 39 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

Stunning visuals & OST but weak plot

This xianxia stands out with its stunning CGI/visuals, an OST that elevates each scene and unfortunately with a very weak plot. The drama is about the daily life of the Phoenix Warrior (the female lead) and her love story with the only remaining Ancient God (the male lead), who’s tasks are both to protect the realms.

The first 10 episodes start in the mortal realm and show us how the main leads fell in love. The main lead’s chemistry was great and the writers did a great job in balancing their maturity with the ability to still joke around. The fight scenes stand out here with beautiful CGI and the added OST elevates these scenes, giving me chills with its otherworldly vibes.

The middle of the drama is where it got boring for me. Many things were happening but at the same time I felt nothing significant was actually happening plot wise. We were mostly following the female lead and her engagement with her three men (her lover, her arranged husband and her loyal subordinate). I did love their scenes together but I needed more angst and complexity or at least some faster movement and development. Many of the scenes in the Immortal Realm felt like fillers and I had to ff/skip a lot. There was a lot of back and forth between the leads with the vibe “will-they-won’t-they”.

The last 10 episodes delivered in terms of plot and angst. They were action packed and well-paced. The final episode was very unique as it felt like an extra special episode. The drama explained everything well and wrapped up all loose ends.

It’s worth mentioning that there were guest appearances with side love stories that I loved watching. Some were even as short as only 2 episodes but they touched my heart. These love stories for me were a great addition to the drama.

POSITIVE:
- Otherworldly OST. I’ve never heard such a mesmerising OST, it was very unique and made each scene 100x times better. In fact I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have felt strong emotions if it wasn’t for the music.
- Great chemistry between the leads.
- Badass female lead with strong on screen presence especially during fight scenes. Her deadpan look is so good.
- Male lead who can crack jokes with a straight face. He is one of the best jokesters I’ve watched.
- The only drama where I 100% ship a chicken with a man.
- Stunning CGI! One of the most visually beautiful xianxia I’ve ever seen.
- Great fight scenes that can rival Marvel cinematography.
- Hot intimate scene (one but totally memorable).
- Side love stories from guest appearances that are short but totally touch your heart.
- No love triangles.

NEGATIVE:
Only two points but they are very significant!
- Plot was weak as it lacked the complexity and angst that I was looking for. Many things were happening but at the same time, it felt like nothing significant was actually happening plot wise. A lot of back and fourth. Perhaps if the drama was shorter I would have enjoyed it more. I’m pretty sure the whole plot is around 5-10% of the drama.
- Too slow paced and boring at times. As mentioned above, everything was just too calm and I had to ff/skip a lot of scenes (especially in the Immortal Realm).

OVERALL:
This wasn’t exactly my cup of tea but you might enjoy this drama if you want a slow paced and calm xianxia that focuses on the love story between the leads and their daily lives + you want beautiful visuals and music.
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