Burning Flames (2024)

Fighting for the freedom of innocent people amidst the chaos in the 3 realms

I've been anticipating this drama since its filming wrapped up. Xuanhuan has been one of my favorite genres and this drama surpassed my expectation. It isn't your ordinary Xuanhuan drama, but an EXTRAORDINARY one.

In the next paragraphs, I will explain every arc in this drama (note this as a MAJOR SPOILER). If you don't want to be spoiled, you can skip the whole part regarding the plot. Here we go...

1) Xin Country arc
The first arc mainly introduces the main characters and the first war between humans and immortals. This war was spearheaded by Wu Geng's parents - Xin King and Xinyue Hu. Unfortunately, both of them sacrificed themselves for the country to fight Hei Long. Before his mother died, she transported Wu Geng's soul to A Gou's body. For your information, A Gou is a shred of Wu Geng's divine power and he currently stayed together with a mortal girl called Bai Cai.

2) Bloodstone Mine arc
Wu Geng and Bai Cai accidentally got caught in the capital when he took her for some treatment. Then, they were forced to labour jobs/enslaved with numerous unwilling citizens in the bloodstone mine. Together with other slaves, they healed each other's wound and became to understand each other's feelings. Finally, Wu Geng succeeded in helping the slaves escaping from the mine.

3) Shenyin Village arc
Wu Geng and Bai Cai were taken to Shenyin Village by his grandpa Fu Xi. There, they met many immortals who previously rebelled against the immortal realm. This is the arc where Bai Cai's real identity started to leak. The immortals ambushed the village because of the cackle queen Xinyue Kui and Bai Cai was kidnapped by the hell immortal, Shi Xing. Wu Geng together with his mentor, Ah Lan, set out to save Bai Cai.

4) King's City arc
Wu Geng confronted Shi Xing and he won against him. Bai Cai managed to lift a curse out of Shi Xing after their battle. Shi Xing's backstory is explained here and it is indeed heart-wrenching. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. This is also the place where Wu Geng reunited with his uncle, Zi Yu.

5) Demon Realm arc
Wu Geng, Bai Cai, and Ah Lan were invited to the demon realm, shortly after the thunder god Zhui Ri attacked Wu Geng. At the demon realm, Wu Geng stroke up a friendship bond with the grand marshal of the demon clan, Ni Tian Er Xing and also helped the demons got rid of their petrification sickness.

6) Bai Country arc
Wu Geng and his friends returned to their home and found that many things have happened recently. In this arc, the cackle queen kept trying to possess Bai Cai due to Bai Cai's ancient divine power which could be of good use to the immortals. Bai Cai soon lost control and became the dark Bai Cai.

7) Sea Realm arc
Wu Geng was saved by a mermaid called Bei Er after Bai Cai threw him off the cliff. In the sea ream, Wu Geng was acknowledged by the ancestor of the Sea Spirit Clan.

8) Illusion Island arc
To prepare for the second war against the immortals, Wu Geng took his soldiers to cultivate qi at the Illusion Island under the guidance of Uncle Zi Yu.

9) Immortal Realm arc
Yes, this is the ending of the drama. There are a lot of heavy casualties at both sides. As usual, hero will always win in the end. After Hei Long died, the war was finished. As for the wedding, it was unnecessary. Nobody in their right mind would marry a dying person, right? (just teasing)

Romance is just a subplot in this drama as it focuses more on the characters' growth and development. The leads have siblings-like chemistry and it's already enough to my liking.

Wu Geng can be considered as a good leader who always put his people on top of himself. Despite his good leadership, fighting courage and resilience, he's also a cunning trickster who can easily manipulate and trick people into believing fake evidences.

The only aspect that I like from Bai Cai is her cheerful personality. Aside from that, I think she's a damsel in distress, always whining A Gou until I got tired of it. At first glance, she appeared as a sunny and headstrong girl. But, as the story progresses, she becomes you-know-what. Anyway, the evil Bai Cai is the best, I must say.

To save this review from being a long essay, I will just skip the rest of the characters. Just in case, I'm going to list out the MVP of this drama below:
1. Ni Tian Er Xing (he's slaying very much and I watch this to support him, haha)
2. Shi Xing (his backstory is the best)
3. Hei Long (turning the world upside down just tor revive his beloved. Well, he's slaying too. I love his styling)
4. Xinyue Kui (the cackle queen that people hate the most)
5. Uncle Zi Yu (one of the key figures who encourage Wu Geng to become stronger)

The OSTs are chef's kiss and I can't help but playing it on and on at my Spotify. The lyrics are very meaningful compared to those energetic K-Pop songs I used to listen.

Overall, a 10 out of 10. Give this a shot and you won't regret investing your time in this drama. Despite some minor flaws, it still deserves a 10 from me. Don't forget to rate it if you've completed, because this drama deserves more than 8.0 rating.

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It's Time to Crown the King & Queen

When doing reviews I really like to add quite abit about the leads and will say this....

Idol is a word heavily used in c-dramas. While watching this drama I have really been reflecting on the last 8 years or so to determine who really is the best of this era?....

Allen Ren I think is the GOAT of this era.... Looking back at his dramas, he is amazing. I think I could ask Bai Lu fans & Xing Fei fans & they would agree, will add Dileriba as Blue Whisper was also very good.... I think alot of actresses have been at their best with Allen Ren as their male lead.... Allen Ren can act & keep audience engaged.... My criticism of alot of big name male leads is they have abondoned their male fans with their drama selections, they commit to boring fantasy romance dramas.... Allen Ren is one still interested in being in great selection & playing the character we love, this drama proves it....

Xing Fei what can I say.... I look at the top female names & one thing they have in common is I drop 90% of their dramas.... I mentioned above that lot commit to fantasy romance dramas, I get it, 92% viewers are females and want to see this.... But what about the minorities?.... Xing Fei I feel you get the best of both worlds.... Good actress that people want to see more of plus okay drama selection.... She has got good efforts off her Male leads such as Hu YiTian, Daddi Tang, Lin Yi & Allen Ren.... GOAT for me....

I love the fact Allen Ren has committed to this drama with Xing Fei.... Miss Crow & Mr Lizard was an amazing drama with great efforts from the leads, we are seeing it again with Burning Flames.... I think we need a third drama.... We demand it!!....

Drama overall as talked enough about the leads.... Creative story, not really a boring patch, quite entertaining.... Leads have good chemistry with the support casts.... Music very good.... Drama close to perfect!!....

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One of my Favorites in 2024, Surprisingly Impressive

There are very few dramas that actually hold your attention until the very end; I’m the kind of person who mostly fast forwards through the penultimate episodes because I can’t stand the angst or melodrama. I rarely did that with this show, enjoying each and every moment. I grew fond of the characters; it could be the sides or the mains. Adapted from the manhua “Wu Geng Ji” (武庚纪) by Zheng Jian He (郑健和) and Deng Zhi Hui (邓志辉), “Burning Flames” is a dystopian story with the MC seeking justice for the wrongs inflicted by the Immortal realm on the humans and the demons. It was peculiar that the antagonists in this show were actually Immortals who are supposed to protect the common people. From start to end, there wasn’t a dull moment as Wu Geng led the fight against the all powerful immortal while growing mature as an individual. Ren Jia Lun excels in his portrayal of Wu Geng/A Gou. Both are obviously varied personalities, and yet he embodies them effortlessly. Joining this ensemble casting are Xing Fei (Bai Cai), Zhu Xu Dan (Lan), Yan Yi Kuan (Zi Yu) and Zhu Zheng Ting (Ni Tian Er Xing), each of whom make valuable contributions to his arduous journey. There was character development for each of them and some more!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/04/28/burning-flames-series-review/#more-768

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Bai Cai is the most annoying character I've ever watched.

Overall the story was ok. I've been a fan of Ren Jia Lun since Glory of the Tang Dynasty and I have to say, he really had no chemistry with the female lead at all.

Some may say that this drama is not romance, the problem is because there's no chemistry between the two leads that I felt some of the things Wu Geng did and said feels off. For example, he was desperately trying to save her but I can't understand why, I don't see the love being so deep. I thought Hei Long and Bai Long had very minimal screentime but they really stood out to me. The way they look at each other, I can see that Bai Long meant the world to Hei Long.

Bai Cai was always on the floor screaming "A Gou" "A Gou" but the next moment she's ok running away from danger. I'm not exaggerating when I say this, more than 50% of her script was "A Gou".

For viewers who are ok with a weak female lead and not expecting any chemistry between the two leads, it would be a good watch.

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so messy but quite interesting storyline

there’s so many things I wish to say about this show. mostly aren’t good ones.

good points:
- interesting storyline
- Liu Yuning song

heard that it’s based on donghua. the assemble is good and interesting.

bad points:
- cringey
there are some parts are so cringe, e.g. the father & son scenes, some scenes supposed to be serious but it’s just cringe.
- Wu Geng
yes, the main character himself. he’s one of the main reason why I’m just frustrated. his character buildup is lacking and he doesn’t seem to have his own power? after losing his colorless realm, it seems he’s relying on others to give him power. that’s why the end when he’s the mortal god of war, it’s just a disappointing moment.
- RJL’s line delivery
honestly, this is my first drama from him. and his line delivery is really poor. be it angry or frustrated, his tone is the same. and it’s his own voice (have watched F&E, now I know how he sounds like)
- Bai Cai
honestly, she’s redundant. period. had enough with her A gou.
- RJL hairstyle
why why why?
- underutilising Hei Long
dude is such a hottie, and his presence giving me Voldemort-ish. why he only appear at the start and the end? such a waste!

characters that stood out:
- Shi Xing
- Xinyue Kui
- Zha Zha and his father (their scenes were just lol)

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OK drama but exhausting to watch at times

Caught this drama on iQIYI recently and actually watched most of the 40 episodes, although I did start fast forwarding through episodes when I reached episode 30 or so. Just felt that this drama started to drag on too much and it probably could have been cut down to 35-36 episodes

The sets and CGI on this drama were good, and you could tell they spent some money on the production. The story was good although it was a bit predictable insofar as how it was going to end. Liked the actors, didn't really feel anyone annoyed me but also didn't feel that anyone was great in this either.

Felt like this drama started to drag as it was nearing the final stretch of episodes. The fight scenes got tiresome to watch after a while. Once you knew a big battle was going to start, it was a good time to just fast forward to the end of the fight to save time. After you watch a few CGI fight scenes they start to become repetitive. Some of these C-dramas like to fill up screen time with song interludes and flashback scenes and this one was no different. The song interludes, sometimes 3 or 4 in a single episode, were also good opportunities to fast forward to save time.

Overall drama was average, not terrible but not great either. Have no interest in watching any part of this drama again so rewatch value is a well-deserved 1.0.

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Absolutely amazing

Guys I just want to say it's a worth watching drama . I'm gald I watch this amazing series this drama is not about romance but it's not like there is no romance there chemistry is good they have a strong bong the way he and she always stand and protect each other is my fav .
If you are complaining about a bit talking so what? each an every drama have a a lot of talking is a bad excuse to confused other people
Guys I have a req if u are judging this drama with just 2 eps and giving bad review so it's a very shame of u bcz you didn't even watch and giving bad reviews to confused other people and some people doest this of jealousy just don't do that you like it just leave bcz think before you does to others like how would you feel when people are doing this to your fav ?
So overall it's a worth watching ♥️

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My 40 hrs. approx. was WORTH IT (+ similar drama recommendation)

I'll skip the basic words used in a drama review and just outright tell ya'll reading this that this drama is super good AF. It's got a firm plot, well written script (it has plot twists & other stuffs which will make you think), many characters AF which were casted so fine👌, and if i may say the events are thrilling or exciting enough especially in first 20 or 30 eps. 30-40 eps are nearing end already so the scenes get heavier & battles are becoming more serious and dangerous than ever. I can assure you all though that from start to finish, burning flames has been consistent (lyk things make sense, characters are consistent to their character & nature, etc.). It delivered well allthrough out 40 episodes.

If you ask me the end, i will just leave it you but I will say this is one of my fave dramas the moment i realized it while i was still starting it. Lemme share you some of my sentiments below tho ⬇️✨

🔥 What I rlly like about burning flames is that after every battle or commotion that happens, win or lose, gou/wugeng (ML) comes back to her, baicai (FL), his home. Throughout the long exhausting journey, baicai was his sense of comfort, an escape from all the worries & pressure that he carries daily. Let's admit it, despite its annoying how baicai's lines is full of 'Agou!', she made sure gou was never alone.

She knows and understands that wugeng's mission is a very important matter that even if wugeng loves her, they can't be fully tgt before that mission is fulfilled. It must be hard for her at some point and I rlly acknowledge her character, her love, trust, & loyalty. As well as her kindness & care to the ppl around her & wugeng.

Sure there's no romance scenes (sweet cringe stuffs) but i witnessed their relationship grow & develop allthroughout 40 eps & that to me is more sweeter than any romance out there. The drama took time in showing us their ups & downs tgt that everytime they have flashbacks of their moments in the past we share the same nostalgia with them. It wasn't a very sad ending for me, it's actually a happy one but it still leaves me empty at some point. Finally their exhausting journey of one battle to another have already ended, maybe my emptiness is a sign of relief. I didn't got to see the tandem in one frame as the drama ends but realizing the 'obvious' ending makes me rlly happy.

This was a great journey in c-drama land. So many things happened in burning flames, very well written. It's been a long time since I've finished a drama, this time I'm rlly proud of finding this gem. 🔥❄️

✨ Recommendation Part !! !! !
Burning Flames is very similar to 'Alchemy of Souls' or AOS (k-drama but so many chinese concepts/learnings are exhibited) for me. AOS is also a favorite, very well-treasured drama of mine. It has same concepts of wuxia vibes, unlocked/sealed spirit energy/power, crystal powers stuff, packed with action, petrification sickness theme, etc.

The most striking similarity is the story being mainly about the growth of ML from being weak to strong in order to fulfill a prophecy. Both ML-FL relationship is not full of romance, it's always leaning more to how the relationship & feelings between them started and how it grew/developed through time & experiences.
Ofcourse in both dramas we'll get to see at some point the ML versus the FL on a one-on-one, talking about trance, spells, etc. Eitherway both FLs have hidden powers which are rlly interesting to unfold throughout the entirety of drama.
Go check out both dramas ya'll. Goodluck.✨

ps. i already know xingfei from master devil way back years ago but first time seeing ren jialun act and he nails this role! 🔥😎

ps. i scored rewatch value only 8 cause usually i dont rewatch dramas which hold so much emotion within me. in reality this deserves a 10/10 but yeah, just letting ya'll know.

-jisha

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Love makes one do foolish things

Tl;dr: this drama gives a wonderful message about love, unity, courage and cooperation. Really loved it, some episodes could've been better, but overall, a well deserved 9.5/10. I highly recommend to watch ep 39+40 together so that your heart and mind can be at ease.

When I watched the first episode I had two things on my mind: 1. How does this have 9.6 stars in the iqiyi app 2. I really shouldn't watch dramas just because there is an actor I like in a side character. These thoughts changed very soon within the next few episodes. Episode one of this drama looks like a quite cringe live action imho and didn't really make a good job with the impression and getting one hooked on the plot. I mean, it did look very much like made exactly according to a comic book (I know that it is based on a manhua), but the comic-ness was a liiiiitle bit overboard in my opinion. The next episodes were so much more better, the plot and the settings got sky rocket high better and just so good, I ended up gulping down each episode. Until episodes 33 and 34 where I felt like something is different. I get that the storyline progressed to the finale and it should be more dramatic, but to me it felt kind of disarranged. As if the writers either had to remove some of the scenario due to not being able to cover everything within the number of episodes or as if they didn't have time and energy to write it with the same feeling as the episodes up until ep 32. Wu Geng's hairband kept magically appearing and disappearing in these two episodes and I also didn't quite understand his hairstyle change here. The following episodes made up for these two. Ep 39 was a huge wtf at first but it got cleared up fairly quickly. Definitely don't wait with watching ep 40 after this one.

What I very much appreciated was, that the main characters were written well, logically and the writers didn't go overboard with the actions and behaviour of the characters (way out of character actions are a pet peeve of mine). Prince Wu Geng isn't overly gutsy, just trying to hold up the justice and get revenge for his parents, and Bai Cai isn't overly tomboy nor overly cute (those two characteristics are a pet peeve in FL for me) and I liked them exactly that way.

Another thing I very much appreciated was that the side characters didn't go mia in the story (in a way of appearing at the beginning of the plot, making them look important and then forgetting about them like they never existed). We got full circles here baby. I also loved that the writers didn't unalive characters right after some kind of reunion. In general, there were no unnecessary character deaths for the sake of dramatisation. Kudos to that.

I highly appreciate the soundtrack, the combination of "traditional" drama ost music to symfonic orchestra sections, to the melodic metal (sorry if I got the genre wrong), to the amazing guitar solos, a variety of everything. I'm not much of an OST person, but this OST is something I could see myself listen to.

The only kind of negative critique which boggled my mind throughout the drama was why wasn't the fact that Wu Geng is a half immortal half human emphasized more? I understood why it was concealed when he had to hide his identity and exist as Gou, but later on it definitely should've been mentioned. It is a pretty crucial fact for this story in terms of strength and abilities in my opinion.

Lastly, I want to mention who the actor I mentioned in the beginning is. It's Merxat, I really loved him in Legend of Yunxi. I'm so happy that his character was sort of a mini-boss. I love an evil yet still righteous man of his word character and I think Merxat did an incredible acting job to embody the pain, sorrow, and descent into madness in Shi Xing (can we also talk about his costume and hair because yes to everything about Shi Xing. Except the hairstyle in the other half of the drama, should've stuck to the usual hairstyle).

To conclude this review, if you are a fan of comic adaptations, definitely watch this. Really really great drama, amazing cast and acting with a wonderful soundtrack.

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Another drama that it was ruined by romance...

Honestly I really liked it at first but after one point it became annoying...

We all have our most & our least favourite characters in a drama here's ny list for this drama:
MFC: Ni Tian Er Xing & Zi Yu
LFC: Bai Cai & Xin Yue Kui

Ni Tian Er Xing & Zi Yu they both were amazing characters and the actors did an excellent job playing them!!
For me these two were the only characters that they deserved to get everything that they wanted but it didn't happen. I was happy for Zi Yu at the end that he lived and watched Wu Geng defeating Hei Long and gaining the freedom for all three realms but in the process he lost the rest of his family and ppl he loved and became a lonely soul. He definitely deserved more happiness.
As for Ni Tiang Er Xing he was an amazing character! A great and caring leader and also a great and loyal friend that deserved to get everything and be happy but instead the twisted writers had him die.

Xin Yue Kui was such a twisted character!
For her greed for power and apparently because of her crush on Hei Long was willing to kill everyone even her own family!
I found the fact that she was killed by Hei Long very entertaining but I definitely wanted her to suffer alot more than she did!

I also liked Hei Long's character because he was really powerful. If he had a good heart he could have been a great leader for the Immortals.

Wu Geng was a good character, but I was disappointed. Although he was strong enough to kill Hei Long at the end all that power wasn't really his, it was borrowed or given to him and without Er Xing's help, giving him his own remaining power after he had died, he would have been dead too. The thing about him was that he had a very strong will power, that's why he managed to cultivate the Qi energy that Zi Yu gave him so fast and became stronger and also managed to activate the colourless realm devine power.
He was also a very good leader and he even managed to bring together the three realms and bring peace amongst them. He is definitely could've been a great leader for the three realms but in the end he gave it all up for nothing, just because he wanted to go find that idiotic and good for nothing Bai Cai.
I still don't understand why she got to live again and not all those other great characters that died. She was so fricking annoying and weak from the beginning till the end. Such an unnecessary and good for nothing character. The only thing ahe did throughout the entire drama was to say "A Gou" like an idiot, and annoy us.
I liked her more when she was evil.
Without her character this drama could've been a 9 or 9,5 easily.
Also she didn't have any chemistry with Wu Geng.
In my opinion, this drama didn't need the romance. It would've worked better as a Friendship and Bromance drama.
If the writers wanted Romance they could have had Wu Geng end up with A Lan or Bei Er, since the ML had way more chemistry with them. But no, yet again, those twisted writers hed them both killed like Er Xing.
Those great ppl that deserved to live and be happy remaind dead and that annoying Bai Cai was brought back from the dead. I'll never forgive the writers for that.
The only good thing that they did (for me) was that they made Shi Xing and Xuan Feng Sage King, good characters. I really like these two actors so it was kinda impossible and difficult for me to see them as evil characters and hate them. I was grateful when they both turned good and didn't remain in the evil side.

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