An unconvincing story
The first half was generally quite enjoyable, but the pace just dragged to a halt around episode 20 and the story never really recovered. I don't think I've ever seen any drama that abuses flashbacks the way this show does. The amount of filler time is just insane, and it completely kills any momentum. And all of the pacing problems are made worse by the story not being at all creative to begin with, so the margin for error was always low. There were way too many scenes of characters just going around in circles saying the most cliched lines possible.I generally liked the acting here, and visually it was quite impressive. But the story is just so poorly written, it really lets the actors down.
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I Watched It So You Don't Have To!
It’s astonishing how average and mid modern dramas have gotten. This shouldn’t be normalized, it’s borderline criminal and just continues to prove that it’s young kids that’re writing these storylines and handing them to teenagers to select actors and direct the dramas. This drama in particular (just like any other to be fair) overlooks the viewers, thinking we’re all stupid and I don’t know if this is as a result of the actors’ sheer incompetence or just the basic shortcomings of this storyline. For one, the actors keep showing us subtle hints of what’s about to happen making it really easily and at best ‘basic’ to predict how things pan out 10-20 episodes later.The beginning (episode 1-4) to be fair had me hooked as I expected a lot from the lead pair following their astounding success in Princess Agents and honestly speaking it’s been underwhelming, and the saddest part is this is not new to most of us, we’re pretty much used to these average shows. The storyline is WEAK, all over the place, and lacking a sense of direction. Loads of pointless scenes taking up most of the screen time (this isn’t new tough), and most scenes just lacking the gravity of maybe what the writer would’ve wanted to be depicted. Take for example “The Extra natural Heaven.”, it looked just like any other mortal palace AT BEST and throughout the entire drama I never even understood what the extra natural heaven looked like, just some blue mountains drawn in Adobe Illustrator and rendered into the footage.
The CGI was another aspect of the drama that I thought was all over the place as well. I got the sense it was all designed by an overworked drunkard. There didn’t seem to be any kind of articulation in the CGI or any form of distinction. I’ll just save your time on this: The CGI is rubbish basically.
And finally, on to the acting which wasn’t that bad to be honest mainly from the lead pair but beyond that it was such an average or less than average display. The storyline doesn’t seem to help out and compensate for the average actors at times instead all I saw was them getting more screen time. And then the amount of the times the FL got saved by the ML were countless that it even got boring and predictable. You could literally see it coming miles away. LAZY WRITING!! I think the Western women will have to skip this one lol.
It's the first time I’ve seen two useless episodes in a drama that had me question WHY. They were better off just ending the drama at episode 37 but guess what, they needed to remind us of some annoying and irrelevant character and give her a happy ending. Them shamelessly adding two episodes to the drama simply because they needed to build up a quick love story for the woman in red (couldn’t be asked to search for her name) that no one cared about and hardly even remembered. To this point I’m still wondering why they did that and as if that wasn’t enough, they spawned a new character (potential husband to woman in red) that they just shoved into the last episodes and left it for us to figure out his background or even who he is. Honestly do these guys thing we’re this thick.
Just to sum this up, this drama suffers from lazy incompetent writing that’s been given a platform and a reckless director who couldn’t be asked to get more from the actors.
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Is it possible to love Shen Li and Xhing Zhi despite watching several hundred dramas?
I do not review any series, films or programs. I watch it, evaluate it and move on. I'm not Asian, but I'm fascinated by culture, both Chinese and Korean. I've watched several hundred Asian series, so I have some knowledge. After watching American series, it's probably oversaturated with brutal, erotic and very predictable scenes. We have different tastes, different views, we people from Europe or America love what is fresh and beautiful. But back to Shen Li.I have several favorite Chinese and Korean actors and actresses, and even if they make a lower quality series or movie, I will always watch it, out of respect for their work and commitment. He hadn't met the actors playing the main roles in this series before, I hadn't seen any series with them. Interestingly, the "poster" advertising the series on Viki scared me away because I thought that the main character was too serious for me, and interestingly enough, at that moment, she was even supposed to give up watching this drama. However, I know the work of the author of the novella, I have so far watched all her filmed novellas and I simply love LBFAD. Due to the fact that I have a very distorted taste when it comes to Chinese actors I like, I was afraid that I might just watch it and forget it, so I read the novella. The story is simple, very predictable, but written in such a way that I couldn't stop reading. It is a perfect story for the series, full of emotions, slow pace, but with great verve on the part of the heroine, as well as charming but well-thought-out slowness on the part of the main character. You have to forget that he is a typical male ML, he is definitely a character of someone quite unusual. At the moment of reading, I imagined them like Judy Hops and Nik Bayer from Zwierogrod and that was enough for me. I fell in love with both characters and now I had to face their actors. The story is not cliched, and despite many such reviews, I disagree, I find it fresh, timeless and very fairy-tale-like. When I started watching the series, the character of Shen Li was too energetic, too fast, too arrogant for me, but XHING ZHI was so charming in his slowness that I started searching through the actor's work because he immediately won my heart. And even though many people write that he is too heavy for this role, that he is too fat or too serious, I completely disagree with it. First of all, he's skinny, very skinny to me. Secondly, he has an attractive body structure, because he is a man, not a boy, so he must be tall. Thirdly, she looks perfect in these outfits and has a very interesting interpretation of the character. He is a truly excellent actor and great in this role (it's a pity that some people don't see what Gods look like in American or European productions, they are definitely more powerful and sometimes even obese :)) and they don't fly above the clouds) The chemistry between the characters is perfect, they express themselves complements, and their common dialogues are simply very accurate and give us lightness, sometimes a smile, and sometimes we just want XZ to read Shen Li's thoughts. From the beginning to the end, the series focuses on the main couple, but in the background we have characters from two different worlds, a simply caricatured life in the Kingdom of Heaven and a very hard, full of struggle life in the Kingdom of Immortality, where Shen li comes from. However, it is a kind of romantic comedy, so there is a lot of lightness in it, but don't let that fool you. I shed a sea of tears in several episodes. The music is simply perfect, don't think it's Bach or Chopin, but the recording of this music, the songs and the motifs are just incredibly coherent, and "Blazing Heart" just melts like butter. I still have the ringtone from the song from "LBFAD" on my phone, because in both films I see a lot of tribal elements, ethnic music and fitting into different worlds. The series is sometimes slow, but it is there to prepare us for new emotions, and most importantly, the series has a happy ending and a sweet episode of "life after" all the dramas, which gives a lot of solace to the viewer. This is a series for the viewer, with their needs and emotions in mind. This is not a series for critics, it is something that should be assessed by ordinary viewers and cdrama fans. By then I had already watched several episodes several times. I can't go to the next position because I'm still stuck in the XZ world, Shen LI. The inverted role of a strong woman is only apparent, despite her loneliness in the fight, he complements her with his loneliness in carrying the Three Kingdoms, and even though she is a typical woman of the 21st century, on her own, he gives her care, tenderness and is always there for her, without imposing anything on her. leading the situation. It allows her to be a woman, but it also allows her to be herself. She simply falls in love with him, because who would not fall in love with a handsome ancient god who is willing to freeze the sea for 10 days for his love? Which of us wouldn't want to be carried in our arms like a princess and fed by the man we love? This is a series that touches on women's emotions trapped in the fight for positions in the 21st century, this is a series for men who, even though they want to lock their beloved in a golden cage, must give her freedom, but be there for her and by her side in every situation. That's why I will watch this series not once, but definitely several times and I will come back to it whenever I feel too lonely and too unfeminine. I congratulate the actors on their great roles and I wish everyone to return to this drama with pleasure, but without thinking that it must be an Oscar-winning film. The special effects and the entire setting are very natural, don't expect the animations to be too coarse, everything has its place and level in this series.
That's why I think you can love characters that are so simple, timeless and perhaps predictable, but they touch our hearts so much. :)
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Worth every second of the 7 years we have waited for this reunion
Im unable to rate this a 100/10 so I must settle for 10.Like many others, there was no chance I would pass this drama up. Many of us have been haunted by the cliffhanger ending of the much beloved Princess Agents for 7 years. That couple, and their electric chemistry set the standard for many of us. So we came here eager and hopeful because the FL does not ever disappoint.
This shattered my expectations. Exciting, entertaining, engaging, incomparably romantic. The female lead was simply badass. So cool. So powerful. Her lover, the Ancient God, not your typical thin framed flower boy, but a full grown man, an extraordinarily powerful deity. A forbidden love, but inescapable nonetheless.
Show delivered in every respect. And we got the rare but thoroughly satisfying ecstatically happy ending for our unbothered love birds.
It was wonderful. I will watch this again, many times. No thread left hanging, and no crumbs left behind. This was epic.
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Accompanying the phoenix, Romancing the god.
The appeal of xian xia dramas to me was always the power, strength and magic of the characters. But many dramas I have watched over the years left me wanting. How I have suffered through 'powerful' leads spitting blood every second frame.THIS DRAMA DELIVERED
It showcased a strong male and female lead.
They showed us romance, foreplay, and affection in a tastefully done way.
The fight scenes were amazing.
The costumes and CGI beautifully done.
And very importantly engaging little side stories that did not take all the air time.
I write this review happily. Yes, I will miss the drama but it finished well that I can also move on without regrets. An easy one to rewatch in the coming years.
I gave it a perfect 10 well aware that it has some flaws. This rating is because in spite of the flaws it is a show well worth one's time.
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Best XianXia
Seriously this is the best XianXia drama I have watched so far for this year! And many previous drama is not comparable with this.The storyline, music for every events is just on the spot! Not to mentioned the animation they are using, is just so good.
Not to forget actor acting and chemistry that both lead and other supporting had. Everything is top notch.
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THE NOVEL AND THE ADAPTED CDRAMA IS AMAZING.. WELL DESERVED FOR ITS FAME!!
I cannot bear to stain this novel with my curses so I shall be formal and happily say that this series left me with a big smile and this will always be my comfort cdrama series.. (I apologize if there's any wrong grammars!)☆ STORY & ACTING (both the novel and Cdrama): It's beautifully written, even though the english translation was not that good (considering that it came from a chinese novel). I am so so thankful for being able to read the novel and had the chance to read it before the whole Cdrama episodes were released.. I cannot explain enough on how ZLY and LGX acted and how their chemistry and charisma was so so fulfilling. It made me cry and laugh so much again and again.. The responsibilities that both the characters had were realistic and seeing how they went through hardships where they had to rely on themselves plus with eachother made me feel so much emotions. (I can never forget those scenes from ep37 and ep38 ever again.. ) The comedy made it even better too! Youlan, Furong jun, and the rest made it even funnier! ZLY and LGX were both perfect for this role (also the whole team <33). All i know is they used to be legends based on their old work together (Princess agents) and after finishing this whole series, there is no doubt left in me that they don't deserve their popularity! I haven't watched their old series yet however i knew how the ending went.. So, i am sure this series will heal the hearts of the old PA fans~ This is definitely worth your time you guys!
☆ VISUAL FX/CGI: The cgi for this series is HEAVENLY. I cannot comprehend enough on how good the fighting scenes were! Truly a well executed xianxia drama! ZLY was one of the producer too, and for me, her hard work (including those soldiers, etc.) of practicing all those fighting scenes for this series totally paid off! They deserve it honestly..
☆ MUSIC: The Osts are IMMACULATE. It is BOMB (it means its well done). I have been streaming the osts nonstop for more than 24 hours now (yes im crazy).. I have never loved a certain ost like this one before. IT HITS HOME OKAY T_T when i listen to each song, it instantly brings back all my memories of them including the happy and sad moments.. (It makes me teary-eyed sometimes too) ALL I BADLY WISH THAT WOULD HAPPEN is for them to upload the "instrumental version" of Liu Yuning's ost for this series (in english, its titled "Ages") because i heard it in ep19 (the leaf scene) and i BADLY NEED IT ASAP. i have been going crazy trying to find it for a few days now so if anyone knows, I BEG U to please share or tell me..
☆ REWATCH: I will absolutely rewatch again and again not gonna lie.
All in all, watch it and see it yourselves everyone. This is my review of this series and its a 10/10!~
Ep39 was definitely the best episode ever!
I am immensely proud of how they conveyed the characters thoughts and made it seem so realistic.. They followed almost everything from the novel and added extra parts that made it even more perfect!!!! I am 100% sure that they will bag all the awards soon (they are already breaking records ;D) and I am proudly ready for it! Kudos to the whole team especially to ZLY and LGX for blessing us with this 2nd drama of them being together~ I will never ever forget this series and i will rewatch this when I'll miss them (which won't take long haha–)
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Best Xian Xia of 2024
I first read the original novel 与凤行 a few years back and it was one of the best plot lines I had read. I was so glad to hear it being made into a series and it did not dissappoint. You can tell there had been alot of attention to details through out the whole series that just screams quality and care. In particular I was really impressed by the wire work done to fly the actors around, it was quite a realistic depiction compared to some others I've seen.Was this review helpful to you?
Amazing Xianxia!
When I started watching this drama, I didn't expect much, but I found myself enjoying every second, even the scenes with the CG chicken! Despite hearing about potential angst, it barely showed up, which surprised me. I thought I might not like it because of that, but I kept watching and discovered it's actually pretty good. There's no love triangle or misunderstandings, just pure romance between the main leads, who happen to be the most powerful individuals in their respective realms. The actors' facial expressions are amazing; sometimes words aren't even needed because their faces say it all. One of the best aspects of this drama is definitely the OSTs; they're some of the best I've heard in a Chinese drama. The songs for romantic or dramatic scenes are great, and the background music for fight or sad scenes is even better. It's not your typical Chinese drama OST; it's simply divine. This drama doesn't require much thinking to watch, making it perfect for unwinding. It's definitely going on my comfort drama list, something I can always pick up again when I need to kill time. Overall, it's slightly underrated given its current rating, but it's truly amazing!Was this review helpful to you?
THE ENDING IS SL BEAUTIFUL. ICAN ASCEND TO HEAVEN
I love everything from start to finish. Angst, forbidden love, comedy, romance is so plenty. They really are cute and beautiful dynamic. The ending is so beautiful I'm very SATISFIED. Everything is TOPNOTCH. Such a masterpiece. This is how directors should start and end their drama! Also I really love the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT of many characters especially FurongJun and Youlan. Ms. Jin is so beautiful, hope Zi Chun will love her forever. Shen Li and Xingzhi had beautiful relationship, they protect each other, no miscommunication even though they think they should've never been inlove, "I can do everything without hiding it from you", "if there's a will there's a way". They're so stubborn that I can't help but sigh and cheer. I also love Mofang tho I feel betrayed still he protected her until his last breath. I also love the story of Liu Yu and Fenglai, such tragedy. I can't help but cry on her parents love story and the way Fenglai meet her daughter Shenli. Her holiness, the soldiers are all bad ass, they did well. I love everything aaahhhhhhhhhhhh. The best of the best! They go all the way and not very stingy in kissing scenes too. I think the director doesn't want to repeat the tragedy of princess agent hahahaha. I love you writer and director. Thank you ZingShen couple. 💙💙💙Was this review helpful to you?
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A Phoenix FL and Ancient God ML
"Legend of Shen Li" arrives on the scene amidst high anticipation, and it doesn't disappoint in terms of cinematography. The visuals are truly top-notch. However, in terms of storyline, it treads familiar ground with a phoenix female lead and an ancient god male lead. The twist of the female lead being a half-Chimei adds a unique flavor, though.The story draws parallels to themes seen in other dramas, particularly concerning divine beings navigating forbidden love amidst their duty to protect the realms. The actors and actresses, known for their roles in "Princess Agent," deliver commendable performances, maintaining the show's quality.
However, where the series falls short is in its portrayal of antagonists. They lack the intimidating presence one would expect, and their introduction feels lackluster. This aspect of the show feels anticlimactic.
Despite some pacing issues and filler scenes, the fight sequences are a standout feature. The music accompanying the female lead's battles adds an extra layer of excitement to these moments. Episode 23, in particular, shines with its gripping confrontations.
I am actually wanting clashes between Shen Li and Xingzhi, especially after witnessing the latter's prowess against her father. Nevertheless, "Legend of Shen Li" remains a satisfying watch, albeit with room for improvement in certain areas.
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Best drama I've ever watched, definately worth your time!!
This drama has literally been my top 1 cdrama ever since I started watching it for so many reasons, I love how both main leads are actually powerful and independent characters rather than one of them (mostly the fl) being a weak frail character that relies on the other person. This cdrama has got me in tears in so many scenes, both good and bad ones (especially when Mofang died and Feng Lai sacrificed himself). Honestly this is my first time watching Zhao Liying's drama and second time watching Lin Gengxin's drama but I was very still surprised and impressed at how good the visuals and acting skills are with both main leads. I know that they have collaborated before in Princess Agents (which I haven't watched yet) but honestly I'm still hoping that they can get more dramas together cause this pairing is just so perfect! Also another reason on why this drama is my top 1 is also because of the ending to it, in most Xianxia dramas there would be either a sad ending, open ending or a slightly happy ending but in The Legend of Shen Li it is just a perfect happy ending, they reunite together again and have about an episode and a half together, and the fact that Xing Zhi asked Shen Li to marry him was super cute!! But the cutest scene for me was when Shen Li revealed that she was pregnant right afterwards, Xing Zhi's expression was absolutely priceless.Honestly, I do wish that we got to see their wedding and their child but that was okay for me as this was the best ending that I've ever scene in a cdrama so I was still happy with it.
And now with the drama ending I feel like there's a empty hole in my heart cause of how good this drama was and also because of how quickly it's ended already. Goodbye 与风行 and we hope to see this cute pair collaborate in another drama soon!
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