Who Rules the World (2022)

Another Zhou Lusi HOME RUN!

I watched LOVE LIKE THE GALAXY on Viki before watching this series on NETFLIX. Zhou Lusi is a NATIONAL TREASURE. I thought her and Leo Wu gave me fever, but her and Yang Yang, DAYUM! They kissed only once in this series, but my gosh, the chemistry between these two comes through your screen. Lusi would have chemistry with a rock if it was her leading man. Then there is Yang Yang! The word quiet sexy was invented for this man, it just was.

Okay what did I like about the story:
1) I loved that they were always there for each other and to save each other/
2) ML+ FL we both smart and sensical.
3) Great supporting cast - Solid acting company- Strong female characters
4) They didn't spend too much time on a particular story arc, the story kept moving
5) Beautiful cinematography
6) Great Special Effects
7) Beautiful costumes
8) Musical score fit the characters and story.

What I disliked:
1) Killing off characters I like - C-Drama Staple that I HATE
2) Too many battle scenes with killing - became redundant after a while
3) That bittersweet ending - middle finger to the writer who came up with that curve ball at the end.

Overall, I don't regret one minute of watching this wonderful series and I highly recommend this drama. I will definitely watch again.

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A genre hotpot that tastes like disappointment

I'm probably not the only victim to Netflix's annoying trailer that always plays when you hover over a show or movie. The one they showed for this drama was of a quirky Zhao Lusi beating up a bunch of men and haughtily flaunting her martial arts prowess. Ok, cool. Badass female lead with skills. Hook, line and sinker.

The first few episodes were promising. There was a cool animation and everything giving us the backstory of Hei-Feng Bai-Xi and how they were the most powerful duo in jianghu. That was my expectation going in. That they'd be this powerful couple having lots of adventures and solving mysteries together.

And then the court drama started happening.

And then it's revealed that he's the prince and has all of this baggage and has an evil stepmother who wants to kill him, which just eerily reminds me of the Legend of Lu Zhen.

And then I just slowly started losing my interest because all of this has been done to death and done so much better in other shows.

WHAT I HATED

We are given such a rich backstory with these 7 kingdoms and sects and an overarching conspiracy over the fake token but none of that gets expanded on and for nearly half the show Feng Lanxi's story hijacks everyone else's. Powerful couple Hei-Feng Bai-Xi is really just the Feng Lanxi epic with his gluttonous bff/gf Bai Fengxi who's there to reinforce his Main Character status and make some cute jokes at his expense to show that he's really not as serious as he looks. Cue my eyes rolling into the back of my head.

Not only does Feng Lanxi have a secret identity but so does Bai Fengxi! But why did she also have a secret identity? Oh because she's a carefree girl. Yeah, they say that a million times throughout the show and her brother and father just happen to be so supportive of that, but it doesn't really explain anything!!!

We get no backstory for our FL, no character development, no plot development. NOTHING. She's the same in the end as she was in the beginning. In the same vein, all the male characters, including the ML, are just annoyingly ambitious with no other facet to them. The only outlier would probably be Feng Chang but he's kind of pathetic and actually a psychopath for murdering a bunch of people who know about his epilepsy and the show just conveniently glosses over it because he's such a loving brother to Feng Lanxi and *LOOK* tragic childhood! *WAVES ARMS DISTRACTINGLY* Like hello??!? How is this ok? You've got a FL who swears to kill all corrupt and evil officials and this prince here is abusing his power but he gets a free pass because something something plot reasons.

The show doesn't follow its own logic and makes such contrivances for the sake of its nonsensical plot. The main villain and side villains are also comical. Poor Carman Lee. You went from being my favorite Xiao Longnu to a cartoon evil concubine plotting and killing for power. The only thing missing is some moustache twirling. It's all so very typical and cliched. We don't need to discuss the Third Prince here. He's an idiot and has a punchable face.

The father, the Lord of Yongzhou, seems to be like some sort of all-seeing dumbo who knows how evil his wife and son are but just turns a blind eye and then is shocked when they force him to abdicate. If you hadn't been waffling for over 30 episodes about who your heir was maybe you shouldn't be so surprised that something like this would happen. Worst Father of the Year Award also goes to this loser. With all the resources at his disposal to investigate he still punishes the wrong people and gets swayed so easily.

And then there's the Tianshuang Sect who might be the most useless sect in all of existence. They literally cannot do anything right, get caught ALL the time and have the weakest disciples I've ever seen. How in the world did Bai Fengxi become one of the strongest fighters in jianghu by training with them?? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie pop? The world may never know.

Bai Langhua is insufferable and fits the annoying, bratty sect sister trope to a T. This chick gets sick from being on a boat to the point that she's near death, begrudges Bai Fengxi for the littlest things and then literally stabs her in the back accusing her of murder. If you shake her, you'll probably hear a few screws rattling in that empty head. Nothing she does makes sense. She's a throwaway character whose circumstances are established to fit the plot and to push it along when it's needed. They could literally replace her with a teapot and it wouldn't make any difference to how much depth she has as a character.

WHAT I TOLERATED

The fight scenes were just ok. It's a bit overdone and far too showy for what is supposed to be a wuxia. Like, people have the strength of 50 full sized leaf blowers coming out of the palm of their hands. Everyone is always flying from some internal tornado force. There isn't much intricate choreography here, just sped up sword waving to try and enhance the feeling of a chaotic fight scene.

WHAT I LIKED

Feng Qiwu is BEST GIRL and her relationship with Bai Fengxi is so amazingly wholesome and cute and I could gush about it all day. Dare I say the chemistry between them was much more natural than between the main leads? How I wished this was a GL drama instead but that's never going to happen in our lifetime.

The costumes and cinematography is what I always come for in Cdramas and this doesn't disappoint. I love the clean look, lighting and beautiful sets. The female head pieces are also understated and don't look ridiculous. The male robes, especially for the princes, all look so elegant and cuts a very hourglass figure, funnily enough.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

This drama overpromises and underdelivers. The FL's story is sacrificed for the sake of the ML's boring backstory and side villains. Too many plotlines are introduced and then just dropped. Character motivations and actions are not consistent or sensible but everything is very pretty looking. Have you seen all the pretty actors? Keep looking over there, don't mind all the mess and duct tape that's keeping everything together. If you're bored, go for it. If you want some quality with your entertainment, look elsewhere.

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Plot, story and the ML and FL chemistry

This series is worth waiting for, it gives me goosebumps every episode especially how the ML and FL fighting skills and how they save each other. This WRTW is my most anticipating, and I cant wait for the next episode which is the 11&12 up to ep 40. I really love the character of Bai Feng HeiXi, how they understand each other move, how they argue, how they fight against the enemy and as well as how they save and protect each other when one is in danger. It also gave me how the Hei Fengxi family treat him and so on. I can't wait for the upcoming episode that makes me excited. i urged you all to watch this drama, you won't understand what am, saying until you take a look at the drama, watch and give me a like later. Waiting!

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This drama is truly amazing

I saw clips of this drama on YouTube and it immediately caught my attention. I'm not a huge cdrama watcher and historical dramas don't usually peak my interest but this one did. And I'm so glad I watched it. This drama has everything you could ever want: Interesting plot? Yep. Great acting? Yep. A beautiful romance? Absolutely. Strong female characters? Heck yes. Male leads that are strong, respectful, and handsome? Yes, yes, yes! This drama is perfectly paced, it's not too fast or two slow. Every plot point is properly explored and everything that happens has an effect, nothing is pointless in this drama. The romance had me swooning, it's so perfect. It's healthy, it's cute, there aren't that many obstacles, it's simply wonderful. And I love love love that the character that could be considered a love rival for Bai Fengxi becomes her best friend. She doesn't try to hurt Fengxi because Lanxi likes her, instead they become close friends and support one another.
Over all this drama is a 10/10 and I highly, highly suggest you watch it

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Bai-Hei Fengxi deserves more exposure

Definitely had a very mixed feelings about this cdrama while I was watching it, but all in all it still managed to capture my heart. This cdrama started really strong, I was sold with the rival to lovers troupe and double identities. The actors all did a fantasic job on portraying their characters and the main couple is so shippable, damn they’re such power OTP.

This is actually my first cdrama with both lead actors and all I can say is wow. I might even had a big massive girl crush with Zhao Lusi, like maam step on me?! Although Yang yang did a fantastic job portraying Hei Fengxi/ Feng Lanxi, I still find myself not into him as I am with the actor who portray Huang Chao.

Let’s just be clear, my preference on certain character doesn’t mean I ship Huang Chao and Bai Fengxi/ Feng Xiyun. It’s a fat NO, i love the main couple so much they’re perfect for each other I just have different dude preference. I guess this is more of a preference type at this point LOL. It’s a toxic trait of mine preferring Red Flags than Green ones, your gurl is colourblind.

I also feel the need to say that I kinda simps more on the Hei Fengxi identity more than the second prince Feng Lanxi and it’s because of the hairstyle. Feng Lanxi hairdo isn’t just it for me. But yeah, I kinda hope they had more story scenes on the Martial Art World cause Bai-Hei Fengxi duo is so iconic. I kinda left this cdrama halfway through the series cause I felt like I had enough of Feng Lanxi issues with his family. Like damn Yongzhou drama kinda drags, give me more of my Bai-Hei Fengxi bad-ass adventures.

So yeah during my break from this cdrama I kinda had a marathon on Zhao Lusi ‘s much earlier works cause damn my gay self is whipped for her. I watched Please Be at Ease Mr. Ling and The Romance of Tiger and Rose while readying myself to deal with Yongzhou drama and the stupid emperor just makes my blood boil so much like tf why you so angry to have a really smart and capable son as a candidate for the throne ??? Bitch should be thankful Feng Lanxi didn’t inherit his father’s stupidity.

Oh back to Zhao Lusi damn she’s such a phenomenal actress??? I swear she acts so great she embodies her characters so well. Like each drama I don’t see a shadow of Zhao Lusi or any of her previous character but just the character itself. Tbh, if I’m new to Asian dramas and can’t tell faces apart I would have hard time figuring out that it’s the same actress portraying all those characters.

I wished that the writers also explore on the other states aside from just Yongzhou cause it really had promising plot with the Six States and Imperial Family and all. I hoped and just got my heart broken to see so little scenes from Princess Xiyun and her family and state, Qingzhou. It would be so lit if they did and I was so curious abt the fact that Princess Xiyun was well known and actually is seen as such a great princess. Like ummm where and what is the backstory???? But yeah they didn’t provide one and I think they missed a really great story arc in that one. And damn the brother, he fine af my bros, he’s the second dude in this cdrama that I got a big fat crush on (more than Huang Chao tbh.) I wished I had seen more cute scenes with him and Feng Xiyun. (Spoiler) Like I think if they elaborate more on Xiyun’s really loving and supportive family I could have actually felt the despair of their deaths and the need to avenge on Xiyun/ Bai Fengxi. And their death scene could have actually brought me to tears than just feeling like it’s just another turning point scene. Zhao Lusi’s acting was the only thing that convinced me that they’re actually important to Bai Fengxi/ Feng Xiyun. I just feel like they could Xiyun could have more interaction with her family rather than her martial sis which is immature and stupid, Langhua. Can you guys telI have a lot of penned up frustrations about this missed potential.


Battle scenes towards the end was kinda meh more me like ummm yep they flying and all but they still hasn’t figure out evil’s dude purpose in life until a new character never seen before but mentioned told them like sir what you doing the past episodes??? (Spoiler) And excuse me, after all those episodes about retrieving and stealing of fake token we actually missed the part when the actual token get into the hands of bad dude and where was it this whole time??? Ending feels kinda rushed and I want more scenes of Bai-Hei Fengxi married life, they’re so cute together and all I get as an end is eyebrows drawing.


Overall, Plot was engaging and interesting but I think it could be more elaborate. Actors was fantastic, kudos to them. Chemistry of main leads are top-tier just hoped they could have shown it a bit more. Mixed feeling on royal politics it def had its own ups and downs. War scenes are kinda weird to see as special effects was so obvious and kinda unrealistic. I want a Season 2 not as a sequel though but more like a prequel. Like if there will ever be Season 2 which I guess would never happen, I badly want to see more of Bai-Hei Fengxi duo and their adventures during that 10 years. And,yep, I want more backstory on the other states especially Qingzhou. Still, even though I had a lot of obv complaints I actually enjoyed the series and took time to write this review/rant (whatever) which is to say this series really got my attention. So yeah I guess it’s a pretty alright series. K that’s all idk if anyone would bother reading this whole ass essay anyways.
Final Verdict/ Rank: Lovable Series

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Black & White will always make me think of Bai-Hei Feng Xi

One of the best Chinese dramas I have watched to date. The 40 episodes never felt long to me, in fact towards the end I wanted more from this drama. The plot is amazing, the acting and all the visual effects never felt cringy to me which is an accomplishment. For once, I truly fell in love with this genre of Chinese drama and truly appreciate their craft. The story is just so beautiful, and the main actors/ress' chemistry really made me long for this special kind of love. Had me sighing throughout the whole drama for how much the couple compliment each other.

To be honest, if there is one critique, is that I want more of the couple in their lovebird/honeymoon phase. As after they confessed to one another, the plot really started to thicken and they had to focus on worldly, political affairs. Annoyingly, even then the support of the couple to one another's issues was a demonstration of the love and care they have for one another. I love the main couple- how their visual (costumes, hair and makeup), and their acting (body language and expression) really shine when they are on the same screen together. That symbolism of white and black really did carry throughout the whole drama and was reminder of how they balance each other out.

As well, I love the pacing and the progression of the production. How the story unfolded, the lessons that were shown and what kind of hero(ines) Bai-Hei Feng Xi are. The ending is truly bittersweet as it gives an impression that all their struggles seems redundant. However, as the story unravels both of them truly embodied what mattered to them which was ensuring there would be good governance to achieve world peace. Despite their noble backgrounds and the power struggles they went through to achieve their royal statues. They left all their worldly desires to become humble beings of the Martial Arts World just to be with one another (so romantic). Overall, will be one of the my top dramas ever.

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Who Rules The World - more style than substance

In a Nutshell:
In this drama, society is divided into two parallel but distinct paradigms; the mainstream political world, and the martial arts world also known as Jianghu. Our main characters, Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi are the top two fighters in Jianghu. Their names sound similar, but are written in different Chinese characters. Bai means white and Hei means black, which in the source novel is meant to represent their contrasting personalities. Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi share a friendly rivalry and have known each other for many years. She nicknames him Black Fox for his calculating and cunning persona. He describes her as a troublemaker due to her maverick behaviour and unashamed love for eating and drinking. The mainsteam society is ruled by the Emperor of the Dadong empire. This empire is made up of six States which have their own responsible governing body. Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi have alternate identities in the mainstream world which they keep as a guarded secret. The story begins when a mystical token controlling all six States is declared missing. Hei Feng Xi and Bai Feng Xi become caught up in the search for the token and the subsequent power struggle, as each State attempt to conquer one another to ultimately claim dominion over the entire empire.

The Highlights:
Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang are terrific in this drama, with their endearing portrayal of the main characters and sizzling onscreen chemistry. As an actress known primarily for lightweight comedic roles, Zhao Lusi surprisingly fits the “as beautiful as she is lethal” character of Bai Feng Xi like a glove. She steals the show with her versatility and acting chops, as she effortlessly brings to life the elegance, charisma, playfulness, and wittiness of Bai Feng Xi. Yang Yang also shines in his portrayal of the calm and strategic Hei Feng Xi. He plays the different shades of the character well, with measured intensity. All his scenes with Zhao Lusi are on-point and the off-the-cuff banter between their characters was incredibly fun to watch. The evolution of their relationship from friendly rivals to falling in love unfolds naturally and nothing felt forced or overly sweet to give you a nauseating toothache. The self-deprecating scenes about cliched plots in romantic novels was also cleverly woven into the script. The OST / music was very well done and gave me ear worms for weeks!

The Lowlights:
Who Rules The World starts off with promising first few episodes, with visually spectacular fight choreography and interesting character set-ups. The story then rapidly descends into the depths of sloppy scriptwriting and vanilla bland plotlines, resulting in a mediocre mishmash of palace politics and family melodrama that seemed to drag on forever. The story gets somewhat back on track in the final 8 or so episodes, but by then, it was such a mad rush to wrap things up that the pacing became uneven and haphazard. This, combined with choppy and disjointed editing, left some episodes feeling flat and uninspiring. Even the scene where Bai Feng Xi delivers her character-defining line, which was said in the context of soldiers who have willingly died for her on the battlefield, felt indifferent, as there was not enough lead-up or follow-through in the narrative for me to appreciate the emotion of those words. The motivations of characters were also shallow and under-developed, leading to actions that were either puzzling or just down-right illogical. Despite being heavily promoted as a martial arts / WuXia drama, most of the fight scenes were cramped into the first and last few episodes, which left the middle acts of the drama feeling a tad dull. The CGI battle scenes also started off well, but towards the end, deteriorated into a B-grade Marvel movie imitation.

The Verdict:
Who Rules The World had so much potential to be a well-made drama. However, the screenplay was too ambitious in trying to cover multiple narratives, resulting in an undercooked incoherent story. This left the actors to do much of the heavy lifting and often looked lost in their own plotlines. That said, if you are looking for a historical fantasy drama purely for entertainment, great chemistry and endearing main characters, then this show will not disappoint. But if you are looking for a well-written story, then you might not enjoy this one as much.

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My first drama of Zhao Lusi.. since then I love her even more!❤️❤️❤️

*** Spoiler Alert (PERSONAL FEEDBACK)
Title : Who Rules The World – 2022 (Complete 40 Episode)
Personal Rating : 9/10

My first drama of Zhao Lusi.. since then I love her even more..

Feng Lan Xi (Played by Yang Yang) is handsome, sickly second price of Yongzhou (pretends to be sick) and one of the famous “Four Gentleman”. He has a hidden identity name Hei Fengxi who is handsome, elegant, smart, and head of Fountain of Abode.
Feng Xiyun (Played by Zhao Lusi) is the only princess of Qingzhou and first love of Feng Lan Xi. She has also a hidden identity name Bai Fengxi. She is unrestrained, Disciple of Tian Shuang Sect and known to have an unparalleled beauty & martial art skill in martial world.

Hei Fengxi and Bai Fengxi are known to the martial arts world by the Hei-Bai Fengxi. "Hei" and "Bai" as in black and white, they are also like light and shadow who are inseparable. They are the greatest rivals and best companions.

The story is all about politics. Literally like who will rule the world or who will be the head of the Da Dong Empire. It starts from the news that the Imperial Token is lost and whoever obtains it, can claim to be the next emperor. In the martial world, an ancient evil sect thought defeated, resurfaces after a century bringing destruction to the kingdoms and the people. Then it’s all chaos afterwards. hahaha.. as Hei-Bai Fengxi are known in the martial world, they join hands, seeking justice and restoring calm to the chaos world. Of course, opposites attract and while they’re doing all they can to bring peace, they end up falling in love with each other too. (but I think Hei Fengxi fell first).

Overall, WRTW is one of the best Wuxia dramas for me. I like how Hei Feng Xi and Bai Feng Xi are equally created. They are both strong, they can save each other, and they keep that throughout the show. I love the romance part too. It was so pure and mature. There are no immature outbursts or jealousy. They are portrayed as partners / companion/ best friends than lovers. I watched this drama more three times. And for me it’s a happy ending.

GENRE – Costume, Romantic, Comedy, Wuxia, Politics

CAST – Yang Yang , Zhao Lusi

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This drama was pretty good, one of my first Chinese drama. I love both the leads and that have good chemistry. The relationship between the leads was amazing. No misunderstanding, trusting each other and working together + healthy relationship. The story was also great and kept me interested. I also think the fight scenes were not bad. I would have like to see more of the second couple.

Yes it’s was a happy ending and they will live happily together, but I was a bit disappointed that they both « abandoned » their country. Both their families, parents died and they ascended the throne, but they both just left. Maybe it’s just me but I kind of did not like that🤷‍♀️

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