This is one of the best period spy drama. It is serious, intense and very watchable. I would prefer this than those silly love dovey period type. 1st few episodes was quite confusing as not familiar with the characters except for chen kun and bai yu and the pace was fast. After awhile you get the hang of it and you will start enjoying the drama with every episode.
It's what I call a true "spy drama". No love triangles, no neverending childhood flashbacks, no concubines, lots of serious problems, lot of deception, lots of twists, fear and death looming, dark characters, meetings in dark places... It was a good drama, not only among c-dramas but among all the dramas I've watched.
Cdramas often have this problem of being boring until around 6 episodes later but while I agree with some points you mentioned, my experience is just the opposite from yours. I'm totally hooked on Longxi and I'm currently at Ep 13. As a non-technical person, I'm totally absorbed into the plot and didn't notice anything about the camera or other technical issues. The recap at the end of each episode is also helpful especially at the beginning of the drama when there were too many names and the pace too fast for me to process. I think 7.7 on Douban is not the best but I wouldn't call it low rating and yes, Nieyuan/Fengying is amazing and my favorite character. Though it's not exciting like a typical spy drama, I find myself thinking about the plot and characters, guessing what's next and that itself is considered a success in my opinion.
I also enjoy this drama as the non-technical audience. As long as the story is captivating enough, technicalities are not major problems for me. Even so, I realized the dark mood of it. Luoyang has candles everywhere to compensate but this one does not get bothered to do so
@@thearcheologist321 I agree some scenes are very dark but I'm watching it on tv so that helps I guess. At Ep 17 now and some commenter said earlier that iQiyi gave the spoiler and I'm saying now nope, they did not haha! It's like you thought you knew the truth and then oops, you don't! It's so so good right now.
I really love love this drama. I love how the setting (the house, the camp) is so CLEAN! I almost thought this is Japanese samurai drama. Love all the actors, the costume etc. Both side has good spies agents and department. I hope more drama like this where there is no annoying voice of female lead.
You know what makes me happy about reviews like this one? It shows that even some series you disliked or aren’t your cup of tea can actually be something I personally love. For all reviews of yours up to this point i felt anything you were disappointed in isn’t worth my time, as I’m usually into series that are at least acknowledged for its high quality in its writing,execution, and production by you. This shed alot of light on a couple of dramas you found lackluster for me to at least try. Appreciate your distinctive views on these dramas. I’m loving Wind Blows from Longxi so far, it’s airtight writing, bold narrative choice, great cast selection(besides angelababy, writing and performance wise), and the true thrill of it all as the story moves along at a steady pace.With a well detailed,dark and gritty cinematography I’ve come to love for period dramas.
wind blows from long xi just has rubbish lines, imagine a European period show where all the actors mix Shakespearean words with 21st century rap and web slangs, it's really a torture for native speakers😢
I'm actually reminded of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (book version) when i watch this show. Both are equally slow and confusing. In a good way for me though 😅 I have my Chen Kun ❤filter on for this show too so that helps 🙊
With all due respect , this is the first review where I extremely disagree with you on your opinion about it . I actually enjoyed the series up till now (we have 4 episodes left only ) . The story was actually really fascinating to me , the plot is condensed and fast , and honestly the acting of everyone is just amazing(except for maybe Angelababy - she improved here however , but still feels a little out of place in a historical setting like that ) . I also love the plot twist that happened in the last 2/3rds of the drama , and I honestly am Anticipating to find out more about the ending tbh . Also , isn’t 7.7 a really good score in Douban ? It’s technically one of the highest rated dramas so far in 2022 / I actually saw the people criticizing the first few episodes of being a little too fast paced , but Afterwards most of the general public’s opinion got better about the show in general . Thank you for the review though , and I loved this hanfu look !!
I actually like the drama! I do agree with a lot of the criticisms pointed out because I definitely was a little turned off by them as well when I started watching, but am very happy with this show because of the level of effort and cinematography put into it. Also controversial opinion but I like the recap haha, the guy who plays Sun Ling was the perfect person for the role, he's so funny/relatable and his recap also summarizes or redirects you to Key Takeaway Points since this drama is SO fast paced and there's so much going on, it's easy to get lost or confused. One of the few 2022 shows I've been able to watch past the first few episodes hehe : )
I like it very much because if you take your eyes from the screen you will miss important information. It's that intense. Most important, I like that all villains are smart and cunning and the good guys have a tough job outsmarting them. I don't know if the clothes and the decor are accurate, I just follow the plot.
Thank you for this review. I didn't understand why I kept daydreaming and spacing out on this series. You explained it so well. Thank you for your comments about the USA. I am beginning to feel so scared here.
I like this movie so much and have strong urge to see how it develops. There is a lot of wisdom and strategies to learn from this movie. I feel like reading exciting strategy books that reminded and tought me the reality in life and how to survive. I honestly enjoy this movie and every single character potrayed. I felt a bit lost in first 3 episodes as I don't speak mandarin and heavily rely on the english subtitle. First impression was like everyone looks similar and I could not differentiate which state and what is going on due to the jumping scenes from one state/scene to another was not so clearly explained. But I sense the story has more to offer so I stay still and yeah.. I never regret nor look back. I don't see this as a spy story but more to historical and political story that involves spies. The dark scenes do not bother me as it serves and align with the storyline and would be the closest to the reality of that era. Anyway thanks for your review. I learnt new things about camera angles and the rough edits. Will observe these in the upcoming episodes.
First thing, you are looking stunning and elegant as always. Secondly, you spoke my exact words in this review. I also admire the production crew and the whole team but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I had expected. But however, everything was perfect in this pandemic era. Also I just love the whole Danmei atmosphere that Dong Zijian naturally created in this drama😍
I like it a lot. Does have some issues to rant about as any other drama series, but what is more important it is original and recreates so adequately the stuffy atmosphere of the life of spies. I like its dark palette, enjoy the aesthetics of its shots and still intrigued by the plot. So I will watch it to the end.
Thank you Avenue X ❤❤ I really enjoyed your review before watching it , i wanted a glimpse from your opinion ❤😊😊 Enjoyed the first episode ❤ Shen kun😊😊can't complain
For me, this is a hight quality drama, a really historical one (I've watched it 6 times) : nice story, great reconstitution of era, perfect casting... All is perfectly doing, and last but not least, wanderfoul actor CHEN Kun is there.
This drama, the plot did not surprise me. But I really loved the cinematography and the visuals. I love this kind of slightly cinematic feel, it just makes the drama look expensive. The plot is okayish. The characters are fine too. So I guess it isn't too bad nor too good, just in the middle
Oh when you said ‘Put the interrogation scene first’ that really triggered my memories about 007 or Mission Impossible. I’m sure I have seen a movie opens with an interrogation.
I disagree with you totally. First you misunderstood the music, this was music not intended as a cheesy evergreen melody but only as background music, whale songs, heart beats etc intensified the drama happening, this type of music cannot be intrusive, it is just there subtly playing on the viewers emotions, I think they did a very good job with it and found myself in a few moments reacting to it. The darkness was meant to portray the imminent danger the Shu state was in which could at any moment be destroyed as everything was just hanging by a thread and it seemed as if all the cards were stacked against them surviving. It was a constant brooding storm which was about to break. I have seen Chen Kun before in Rise of Phoenixes, he is totally different here, hard even to recognise him as being the same actor. Bai Yu had some very good scenes and I feel both were believable and even made me cry in their last scene together, it was truly heartbreaking. So on that I do disagree on your disparaging remarks about their capabilities. Your wishing for a formula for all dramas is so limiting and borders on you almost trying to imitate Chinese censorship. The military scenes could have been more bombastic and epic especially when one is talking about hundreds of thousands of troops, too little attention was paid to that, could have been a budget issue as computer graphics can be very costly. I don't speak chinese but I do know that some old words are used to suggest a time period in many Western films and dramas and not limited to english, I speak German fluently as well. Just to read Shakespeare one has to have explanations and that was in the 1600's imagine trying to recreate Chinese from 300 AD, good luck understanding that. If people are left puzzling over what was said the whole mood of a drama would be lost, so a few words here and there just suggest an epoch. I enjoyed it very much including the Sun Ling's recaps at the end of each episode, was a clever idea which brought humour to a very serious drama.
Well said! I thoroughly enjoyed this drama too. I felt it was trying to distinguish itself from so many other dramas and movies set during the Three Kingdoms period. I understand mandarin and their manner of speech didn’t detract from the plot at all. As for large scale military action, this focused on the second Northern Expedition which was by all accounts a flop. We didn’t need to see all that action as the focus is on the imagined world of spy operatives working behind the scenes, not the traditional 3K heroic generals or soldiers. For more military action and also more traditional language, I’d suggest John Woo’s Red Cliff (the unabridged 5hr version) which offers the prequel to the events of Longxi.
@@suziecho2589 To be honest I did not mind the missing army mass scenes as it was not necessary for the plot as you so aptly stated. Thank you for the recommendation Suzie.
I watched this awesome drama from the beginning to the end and enjoyed every minute of it. It is one of the best dramas I have ever seen. At times the subtitles were a bit quick and I did not understand every word , and maybe I even got a bit confused at times but as I went along the drama plot became clearer and I looked forward eagerly to every episode. I.did not feel anything about gay couples , that's disingenuous of you, nothing like the other "gay" movies you like or recommended. In spies situations bonding with someone you can trust of respect would be very close.You need to understand male relationships better..The cinematography/lighting maybe dark but so was much of the drama theme.It was about spies and a complicated network of operations ,situations, with intrigue, mystery, plot twists, anticipation,revenge, pay back, betrayal,tragedy and very far from many frothy superficial Chinese drama often seen. This drama was maybe too demanding for you, or to subtle and too different, to challenging from the straight forward ones you usually like or recommend.It did require a bit of commitment not just a relaxation for standard drama. I really disagree with your summation, the end was particularly interesting. Just because it was different to what you wanted/expected ?so? I have no expectations. Lots of other people will love it or at least appreciate it anyway.. You seem to be able to tell everyone how the drama should go and how you could do it better, that would be interesting. Boring ? I think not!
it's not "spy thriller" tho. It's about spies... and you've already watched ep 16 and still didn't get that point, it's sad. Anyway, it's deffo not your cup of tea
I did expect this kind of review from you since you started talking (getting excited) about FQLX back then... I'm BY (+ZYL)'s big fan since 2018. So, my standards for BY were really high and I definitely knew that he would do his work well(and he really did.) The only thing that made me feel worried abt your review for FQLX is just becoz your expectations were so high. (I'm not blaming you)Its just like you know .. the more you expect, the more you get disappointed, right? Thats why I was worried. Tbh, i'm still happy with this drama and will continue watching it till the end but I also agree with your comments on this drama (cuz it would be way better than now if they did it in the way you said). Whatever, thank you so much for your review, AvenueX. I'll be looking forward to your next reviews for BY & ZYL dramas in future (and hope those dramas will not disappoint you)
One of very few C-dramas that I completed watching these days. Love most of the performances. Love the colors and picture. I feel the editing was a creative decision. I didnt find it intrusive perhaps because I grew up watching foreign films, some with very unique/contemporary style of editing/framing. The story was intriguing at first. Made me wanted to keep watching but agree that it ultimately fell apart in the end simply because it fell into the "common tropes" of C-spy dramas.
Special forces had too shaky camera, while this drama had unmoving camera🤣🤣🤣🤣 for me both dramas are very quality high Cdramas from recent “trashies”, so I have given them 9/10
I have to disagree with the suggestion for the opening scene. OK, they are torturing someone. Why? What is at stake? Who is who? Why should I care if he speaks or not? When they started with the lost battle and the beheading of a general (this is not a spoiler, it happens in the first few minutes ), I knew what it was at stake and why they were torturing the man. I must admit I hate flashbacks and this drama keeps them to a minimum. It only shows flashbacks to add extra information. If they started with the torture, they'd have to explain afterwards in flashbacks. I apreciated the fact that they didn't focus on faces but on the whole body and they even show people from the back or above or half-hidden. It gives me the feeling that I read a Le Carré book. I dropped many dramas where the focus was on product placement and pretty instagrammable close-ups. I also appreciated the darkness, the dim lights, the fleeting images. Spies are not glamorous warriors, they live in the shadows and they sabotage by deception. They also die in the shadows. Of course they had to have meetings, because this is were you sabotage your co-worker and you plant the seeds of deception. The love stories are kept to a minimum, which fits a spy drama very well. There is enough romance for the plot to work, but they don't waste half the episode being lovey-dovey with spouses or "soulmates" or crying for stupid reasons. I am so tired of dramas who claim they are spy/suspense/mystery but they only deal with love triangles and concubines. /end of rant
Lol i said the same last night after noticing she tried to nitpick that, if one can’t sit through 10 minutes to see where the series is beginning from and why the following events are happening, they have no business even being interested in the drama. Not to say that switch up is bad, but compared to what they actually did it’s horrible even thinking about it. Tell us later why it happened? Not just show us for 10 minutes before it all happened? Show us it’s a spy drama immediately to keep our interest? Lol idk about any of that making sense. Maybe she started to drift off amidst the long rant about her other issues lol.
This is the first Chinese drama I managed to catch on the first day it aired! I had no knowledge whatsoever on the three kingdoms' history and since it was a spy story I was excited to see if the spies will manage to get away. But then I read the synopsis on iQiyi...why are they giving major spoilers? I couldn't feel nervous for the main leads since its written in the synopsis that they will get away and thwart the enemy's plans.
I agree! I thought I'd use this drama to educate myself about Chinese history: googled the 3 kingdoms, studied maps, read the iQiyi synopsis, and whaaaaaat???!! Spoilers???!!!😳🤫🤭🤦♀
Hahaha I've got to say the dramas that made their theme very clear right from the get go were Nirvana in Fire and Tientsin Mystic! Including distinctive character styling and introduction!
That's interesting because it took myself and other persons sticking through to like 16 episodes of Nirvana in Fire before interest to care enough for the story was built, so is it fair that people have much less patience for this drama? Honestly aside from maybe the múltiple characters introductions in the first episodes, i didn't see what people were complaining about
@@greatminds1017 I feel it's not the story that's lacking for Wind Blows from Longxi but rather it's slower tempo and overall colour grading as well as the characters' "earthy" toned clothing style that's making viewers easily "tired" from watching this drama... Because this drama was initially supposed to be made as a movie version but as the producer felt pity he had to let go of many fine details and plot conversations, he ended up making this story into a drama which also extensively stretches the entire drama's storytelling. Honestly, I would have liked it very much if it was a movie where it is much packed in content and shorter conversations between characters. If you have watched Nirvana in Fire, you can tell the big difference as to why viewers prefer NIF more than LX. It's the overall good pacing with good amount of tension and light-hearted scenes made viewers follow through comfortably. Colour grading and how every character is styled is definitely important too because it does affect people's attention span.
@@minjilover i understand, but the characters of NIF aren't spies. The characters of LX are basically wearing uniformes and aren't as rich. But even with NIF difference in color, it was very slow for me for around 16 episodes and others as well. The only reason i kept watching after 5 tries was to find out what ppl saw in it. But NIF follows an old fórmula. LX uses darker filters similar to some western historicals so to me i was fine though they did listen and adjust for IQIYI. Plus the pace in LX was fine to me. A lot of information was given so by the end of episode 1 there was much to digest. Just because there wasn't constant fighting and action doesn't mean progress in the plot was missing. There is a lot of dialogue but that's how information is collected. Not fighting but watching spies exchange tips over tea or wine. Through meetings in brothels etc. so dialogue would play an important part. Plus dialogue is what modern dramas depend on, but whatever floats your boat is fine
@@greatminds1017 So let me make it clear, NIF is definitely not a spy drama but I'm sure you got it that what Mei Changsu and Lin Chen was actually operating is indeed an olden day intelligence bureau and had spies working for them just that they were part of the pugilistic world instead of the royal family. For me, each drama opting for which dynasty's style and colour is quite important to me since I do lose attention if a drama's ambience is always gloomy or too serious... I'm not saying the characters in LX shouldn't wear uniform or plainer clothing because it is very fitting to their dynasty and situation and this is inevitable that some viewers may find it uninteresting if they are visual watchers which you could tell AvenueX is very much a visual person because she had worked in this industry previously. I'm not saying having long conversations is wrong or what but this is where many viewers tend to feel the content being too dry whether or not enormous amount of information is being exchanged and that's when they start losing focus if many viewer are used to Chinese style visual storytelling instead of the Western style. Why I said pacing is slower for me precisely because there was too many dialogues/info going on with not much movements during the scene and it's definitely overwhelming for me but ended up nothing really progressed for the story causing the tempo to slow down. And I think you misunderstood me... Fights scenes are definitely not important for me unless it's needed in the plot. I'm not here to argue with you what's right or wrong, honestly you have your preference and I've mine so whatever I've explained here may just be deemed as rubbish for you. And I used NIF as an comparative example because there really isn't many dramas that can be fully considered a spy drama for all these years in China's market.
I seldom totally agree with you, other than Nirvana in Fire being a masterpiece - that we can both agree on ; today I concur with most of your points - the language barrier and the boringness 😴. Also I am impressed with your story telling at 17:29. Just hearing you narrate is already infinitely more exciting than actually watching episode 1 🥱. I also like Bai Yu and Chen Kun but this drama is really boring. I only managed to trudge through 3/4 of episode 1. I shall persevere... or maybe not. 🤔
I really don't wanna rant but AvX even didn't watch the rise of Phoenixes and has the audacity to say CK's acting in recent years isn't really good (anymore)...
I really dislike office staff meetings. And this is what this drama feels like - stuck in a room with people I started actively disliking after a while. And that also goes for the too male leads who one really should root for even if their loyalties are complicated. Chong Yi was the only one I found interesting and even likable…
I fell asleep in the first episode (due to a tiring day) and never went back (due to lack of time). However, I want to restart the first episode and see how it goes. I do agree that from what I remember, it was quite slow and anti-climatic for the type of show that it is and on its pilot episode. I like the cast list so I have hopes for this drama, but I won't put all my hopes into it since there is a lack of buzz around it, along with your impression.
Since you are trying to systematically judge dramas, I understand that you more and more focus on technique details and rate them based on those aspects. However, I find out what I concern is always plots, plots and plots! And how the actors or actresses played is second important since it greatly impacts how the story is told. For the other parts you rant about I really do not care. So I would like to listen to some of your opinions and the high rating ones are indeed good. But your scores are no more as important as a guide for me to pick dramas when it has a low rating.
You always nail it! I was looking forward to seeing your take on this drama. You hit every point right the head. I was so disappointed with the drama. I wanted to begin to get into it and love it, so much! Flat....dead...dark (visually and energetically numbing). Such a waste...was so hopeful and I want to love it. The intricate spy story line is something I love. I was particularly turned off by the BGM issue which you described so well. Also the camera wide angle to portrait switching had an irritating and numbing effect without my realizing why at the moment I was watching. There are things I love about it but I felt like someone dropped an anvil on it.
I really enjoyed this video! Wish each of them could be this detailed - I know it's impossible. I really like (always grateful) when you explain technical aspects - always learning something new and exciting - I have no eyes for these. I think Bai Yu has a very recognizable face but it took me such a long time to figure out which character he was! The drama is super dark and boring, I only watch it because I want to know the whole story. But I don't understand it at all. I consider myself an intelligent person - I have a diploma and I didn't buy it - but if we didn't have the concise bit at the end of each episode, I wouldn't know what's going on.
It’s always refreshing to come across an honest opinion piece. Not that I necessarily agree on all counts. I’m not exactly as enthralled by ‘Wind Blows From Longxi’ as by ‘Be Reborn’ but am feeling it’s more of a slow Trollopian burn - it improves with each episode. My main gripe is that the lack of lighting & similarly styled cast make it hard to discern who’s who. They all seem to be unkempt & have facial hair. Maybe overdoing the realism there. Also, was there a call for lip fillers when casting the 2 female leads? 🤔 I like your reworking of opening scenes. Someone ought to give you a job in that department even if it’s via long distance consultation. 😁
i watched one eps of it and i don't know if i could go back and watch the rest. i could deal with them introducing ~50 characters in the first eps + them mixing ancient and modern lines like you said as if the audience can't understand one way or the other but what really turned me off is the "recap" at the very end... after going through all that and they are still trying to treat me like i'm a 5 by explaining everything in like 2 min...
It’s an option to sit through it or not, idk if you’ve noticed but almost everywhere else there are many viewers that are criticizing the series for being way too convoluted, them getting lost just an episode in and so forth , the recaps are for those that can’t keep up or those like me that appreciates the slight humor to lighten the mood and a refresher.
your comment on dong zijian makes me want to try this drama, i am just curious why i am seeing a lot of comments that he is suitable for same-sex art film, i know he's done art films before
So the un-moving camera, dark lighting & general monotony were some of the causes of the yawns. Rambling & lack of other humanity too, I heard. Before your review, I never quite understood why I kept losing focus when watching this drama, though I can understand spoken Chinese. Besides, the two male leads are my faves. It is my fave genre, a spy drama after all and with good actors. Will try harder to resume watching when there are less tempting drama options around.
I'm watching this drama currently; and yes it is plodding. It's pretty frustrating when you are trying to grasp the main plot, really. The only ray of hope for an international audience is I think, that narrator guy who appears at the end to explain what happened to date & what is expected in the next episode. I literally, heaved a big sigh when he turned up the 1st time & waited every time he appeared to help me connect the dots. Otherwise, I'm a goner for sure :)
I can see why it bothers you so (since you enjoy language, sound and how things look/shot), whereas for other people, they can just watch it without a problem. I have not watched the drama, but maybe I will give it a try since it has only 24eps. Fingers crossed for not falling asleep midway.
Thank you very much for the review! Your technical explanation made me understand why I am not eager to watch the drama beyond the 2 first episodes. If the technique you discuss is intentional, the drama tries to create a slow, depressing and disorienting impression. Maybe it fits the espionage genre, but still... The problem of mixed linguistic strata is a HUGE defect. I could not watch a drama in a language that I understand if it did this kind of linguistic mix (except for comedy).
first, you look fabulous. second, i have a mix of feelings about this drama. i agreethe beginning is a bad mess and i barely made it thru. i hate the confusion of everyone looking alike and the dark lighting all the time means truly dark episodes look just the same as ordinary ones. i was wondering why everything looked and felt the same all the time. now i know, thank you. in spite of these horrible flaws later episodes were tense, holding my breath thru cat and mouse scenes that were proper spy type cliffhangers. ep 13 upset me and now i dont feel much like watching 14....it seems like I'm getting tired of all the sameness. i wish they had been more creative with looks, lighting, and scenes. .more action, less office meetings. i took a break from it for a few days tho i intend to try to finish it, but I'm not into it really anymore. sigh . at least now i know why.
Trying not to spoil myself but I got bored after episode 6 and couldn't continue, maybe I couldn't get into it because I needed a drama that was intense and fun without too much brain power. It felt like everything was going so slow. I like the premise and like Baiyu in it but mannn even I have my limits. I see a lot of people actually enjoyed the drama, good for you. I on the other hand, have other things I need to do and stress about so let me watch this when I absolutely have nothing else going on in my life
I have not watched this yet, for reasons you have stated. For starters, it looks dreary dark and gloomy and I honestly thought it was a pure historic series. Being non China Chinese, I also don't recognize any of the actors, and it was only after I click on photos of it to view carefully then I realise one was Chen Kun, but that's about all the actors that I could recognise. I would probably try to watch it and see how it goes.
I hope you gave it a chance. A lot of the internacional audience enjoy it from what I've seen, plus if You don't mind the dark setting of shows like The Last Kingdom, this should be fine though i heard they made changes to the IQIYI version.
I agree with most of what you've said and I look forword to be reborn drama daily too more than this one but most historical political dramas have issues and I was looking forword the bromance in this l
I read some comments about this drama from the mainland web sites sharing similar concerns on lighting (dark) and story telling. I had quite high expectation before it was aired and must admit that I was a little disappointed, particularly at the beginning ( first few episodes). It took about 3 to 4 episodes for me to start connecting the faces and the characters. Chen mostly wore white/brighter clothing but all other male characters (most if not all but the 2 female leads) literally have very similar hairstyle, clothing style/colour etc. Even their faces all more or less the same under the candle light! I am still watching till the final episode (24th) which will be out this weekend. The casting is amazing except for AB.
I don't know a thing about filmmaking but I think if they invest millions in making one, they should hire consultants like you to critic episode 1 before they do succeeding episodes. Lighting, camera plays, pacing, language and audience impact from people watching it on tv and in their mobile phones can already be assessed. My most important criteria is keep me glued and awake but sadly even ep1 failed me.
Finally! I was waiting for this review! Thank you! I started this drama because of Bai Yu, but watching became a chore than a leisure. And yes I fell asleep as well while watching. I started looking forward to it only after almost half way through. For sure, I would’ve enjoyed more if ep1 started with the interrogation scene with Feng Caoyuan and Xun Xu!!
That's the issue with a lot of dramas these days. There's nothing for me to want to keep watching it. Nothing interesting that makes you really want to click on the next episode. I remember long time ago when I watched Bridal Mask for example, I remember there was a good amount of time in the drama where each episode left you wanting to click on the next to find out what will happen.
I gotta say i agree w/ Avenue X on this drama. I only managed to sit through ep 1 then quit because the plot moves at a snail’s pace. Its BGM is too much for me too. I now learn not to expect great thing from highly promoted iQiyi drama. The ones they don’t promote much actually got me hooked than those they promote heavily.
Yang Yang went to military school during his teenage years so military training was really something he's grown up with. That's why it feels natural for him to be in this drama 👍
I absolutely agree with everything you said and made similar comments so dropped the drama by episode 4 because I had terrible headache watching it. The only good thing happened with me that I decided to watch 2010 drama Three Kingdoms where I could not stop watching the 95 episode and having a withdrawal issues now and keep looking for similar period drama😂
Something about these “Big Male Leads” historical dramas……99% of them nowadays are just so boring. It’s pretty ironic because male audiences typically have less patience than female audiences to sit through 7+ episodes to get to the better, more exciting parts. So who exactly is this drama’s target audience? Does its director/producer know? Are they themselves able to tolerate such slow pacing and messy dialogues if they were the audience?
I watched 9 minutes of 1 episode of this drama, thank. I reconsider if want this drama or Who rules the world or Blue Wisper. I will watch one episode and then I will see If want continue.
*Haven't seen the drama yet, but generally speaking Chinese drama irks me with how much unnecessary camera movement there is. It is to the point I feel literaly exhausted if I shall finish 30+ episode drama, And sometimes even shorter one.*
Judging by the impolite/unprofessional way you are describing this drama...I just wanna watch it entirely ...and follow the comments that say you're missing it😅
I am going to have to watch this just for the technical aspect. How she is ranting the production definitely was done on purpose. I need to see the camera language. I think its interesting real espionage is very boring . I wonder if there was a conflict behind the scenes
You watched more episodes than I could stand. I rolled out at episode 3. It was anticlimactic and just boring. I anxiously waited for this drama and was too disappointed to go past episode 3. I can deal with bad set lighting and excessive background music if the plot is right and the acting is good. You covered well the fine points of why this drama got low ratings.
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This is one of the best period spy drama. It is serious, intense and very watchable. I would prefer this than those silly love dovey period type. 1st few episodes was quite confusing as not familiar with the characters except for chen kun and bai yu and the pace was fast. After awhile you get the hang of it and you will start enjoying the drama with every episode.
It's what I call a true "spy drama". No love triangles, no neverending childhood flashbacks, no concubines, lots of serious problems, lot of deception, lots of twists, fear and death looming, dark characters, meetings in dark places... It was a good drama, not only among c-dramas but among all the dramas I've watched.
@@christina.pietri This -> No love triangles, no never ending childhood flashbacks, no concubines.
There's no way Goodbye My Princess is 1 Gold Mine rating and Wind Blows from Long Xi is 0.5 Gold Mine
This is a drama that would receive better rating with foreign audiences than Chinese audiences.
For me, this is seriously a real spy drama. I watch slowly, I have patience and high respect for the actors and the whole team. Thanks for the review.
Absolutely ,best spy drama since Le Care’s series in the 80’.She is completely wrong!!! Quality not quantity forget numbers!!!
Cdramas often have this problem of being boring until around 6 episodes later but while I agree with some points you mentioned, my experience is just the opposite from yours. I'm totally hooked on Longxi and I'm currently at Ep 13. As a non-technical person, I'm totally absorbed into the plot and didn't notice anything about the camera or other technical issues. The recap at the end of each episode is also helpful especially at the beginning of the drama when there were too many names and the pace too fast for me to process. I think 7.7 on Douban is not the best but I wouldn't call it low rating and yes, Nieyuan/Fengying is amazing and my favorite character. Though it's not exciting like a typical spy drama, I find myself thinking about the plot and characters, guessing what's next and that itself is considered a success in my opinion.
I also enjoy this drama as the non-technical audience. As long as the story is captivating enough, technicalities are not major problems for me. Even so, I realized the dark mood of it. Luoyang has candles everywhere to compensate but this one does not get bothered to do so
@@thearcheologist321 I agree some scenes are very dark but I'm watching it on tv so that helps I guess. At Ep 17 now and some commenter said earlier that iQiyi gave the spoiler and I'm saying now nope, they did not haha! It's like you thought you knew the truth and then oops, you don't! It's so so good right now.
I really love love this drama. I love how the setting (the house, the camp) is so CLEAN! I almost thought this is Japanese samurai drama. Love all the actors, the costume etc. Both side has good spies agents and department. I hope more drama like this where there is no annoying voice of female lead.
Looking gorgeous Ms. I will personally watch anything with Chen Kun in it. Love himmm 😍🥰
I like this series so far. Im not into romances so anything of a different genre catches my interest.
You know what makes me happy about reviews like this one? It shows that even some series you disliked or aren’t your cup of tea can actually be something I personally love. For all reviews of yours up to this point i felt anything you were disappointed in isn’t worth my time, as I’m usually into series that are at least acknowledged for its high quality in its writing,execution, and production by you. This shed alot of light on a couple of dramas you found lackluster for me to at least try. Appreciate your distinctive views on these dramas. I’m loving Wind Blows from Longxi so far, it’s airtight writing, bold narrative choice, great cast selection(besides angelababy, writing and performance wise), and the true thrill of it all as the story moves along at a steady pace.With a well detailed,dark and gritty cinematography I’ve come to love for period dramas.
wind blows from long xi just has rubbish lines, imagine a European period show where all the actors mix Shakespearean words with 21st century rap and web slangs, it's really a torture for native speakers😢
@@xintangshiyan.4823 I totally agree with you. I had to abandon this drama because of those weird lines.
I'm actually reminded of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (book version) when i watch this show. Both are equally slow and confusing. In a good way for me though 😅
I have my Chen Kun ❤filter on for this show too so that helps 🙊
With all due respect , this is the first review where I extremely disagree with you on your opinion about it . I actually enjoyed the series up till now (we have 4 episodes left only ) . The story was actually really fascinating to me , the plot is condensed and fast , and honestly the acting of everyone is just amazing(except for maybe Angelababy - she improved here however , but still feels a little out of place in a historical setting like that ) . I also love the plot twist that happened in the last 2/3rds of the drama , and I honestly am
Anticipating to find out more about the ending tbh . Also , isn’t 7.7 a really good score in Douban ? It’s technically one of the highest rated dramas so far in 2022 / I actually saw the people criticizing the first few episodes of being a little too fast paced , but Afterwards most of the general public’s opinion got better about the show in general . Thank you for the review though , and I loved this hanfu look !!
I actually like the drama! I do agree with a lot of the criticisms pointed out because I definitely was a little turned off by them as well when I started watching, but am very happy with this show because of the level of effort and cinematography put into it.
Also controversial opinion but I like the recap haha, the guy who plays Sun Ling was the perfect person for the role, he's so funny/relatable and his recap also summarizes or redirects you to Key Takeaway Points since this drama is SO fast paced and there's so much going on, it's easy to get lost or confused.
One of the few 2022 shows I've been able to watch past the first few episodes hehe : )
If you can’t hum a Kenji Kawai score, that’s most definitely your problem not his BGM 😂
I like it very much because if you take your eyes from the screen you will miss important information. It's that intense. Most important, I like that all villains are smart and cunning and the good guys have a tough job outsmarting them. I don't know if the clothes and the decor are accurate, I just follow the plot.
Thank you for this review. I didn't understand why I kept daydreaming and spacing out on this series. You explained it so well. Thank you for your comments about the USA. I am beginning to feel so scared here.
For me personally I really love this drama. I haven’t seen one this good for a long time. Classic!!!
I like this movie so much and have strong urge to see how it develops. There is a lot of wisdom and strategies to learn from this movie. I feel like reading exciting strategy books that reminded and tought me the reality in life and how to survive. I honestly enjoy this movie and every single character potrayed.
I felt a bit lost in first 3 episodes as I don't speak mandarin and heavily rely on the english subtitle. First impression was like everyone looks similar and I could not differentiate which state and what is going on due to the jumping scenes from one state/scene to another was not so clearly explained. But I sense the story has more to offer so I stay still and yeah.. I never regret nor look back.
I don't see this as a spy story but more to historical and political story that involves spies. The dark scenes do not bother me as it serves and align with the storyline and would be the closest to the reality of that era.
Anyway thanks for your review. I learnt new things about camera angles and the rough edits. Will observe these in the upcoming episodes.
First thing, you are looking stunning and elegant as always. Secondly, you spoke my exact words in this review. I also admire the production crew and the whole team but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I had expected. But however, everything was perfect in this pandemic era.
Also I just love the whole Danmei atmosphere that Dong Zijian naturally created in this drama😍
I like it a lot. Does have some issues to rant about as any other drama series, but what is more important it is original and recreates so adequately the stuffy atmosphere of the life of spies. I like its dark palette, enjoy the aesthetics of its shots and still intrigued by the plot. So I will watch it to the end.
Thank you Avenue X ❤❤
I really enjoyed your review before watching it , i wanted a glimpse from your opinion ❤😊😊
Enjoyed the first episode ❤
Shen kun😊😊can't complain
For me, this is a hight quality drama, a really historical one (I've watched it 6 times) : nice story, great reconstitution of era, perfect casting... All is perfectly doing, and last but not least, wanderfoul actor CHEN Kun is there.
This drama, the plot did not surprise me. But I really loved the cinematography and the visuals. I love this kind of slightly cinematic feel, it just makes the drama look expensive. The plot is okayish. The characters are fine too. So I guess it isn't too bad nor too good, just in the middle
watching Longxi on my phone is a huge pain in my butt cz i can't see sh*t 😭
I feel u.
LOL
Oh when you said ‘Put the interrogation scene first’ that really triggered my memories about 007 or Mission Impossible. I’m sure I have seen a movie opens with an interrogation.
I disagree with you totally. First you misunderstood the music, this was music not intended as a cheesy evergreen melody but only as background music, whale songs, heart beats etc intensified the drama happening, this type of music cannot be intrusive, it is just there subtly playing on the viewers emotions, I think they did a very good job with it and found myself in a few moments reacting to it.
The darkness was meant to portray the imminent danger the Shu state was in which could at any moment be destroyed as everything was just hanging by a thread and it seemed as if all the cards were stacked against them surviving. It was a constant brooding storm which was about to break.
I have seen Chen Kun before in Rise of Phoenixes, he is totally different here, hard even to recognise him as being the same actor. Bai Yu had some very good scenes and I feel both were believable and even made me cry in their last scene together, it was truly heartbreaking. So on that I do disagree on your disparaging remarks about their capabilities.
Your wishing for a formula for all dramas is so limiting and borders on you almost trying to imitate Chinese censorship. The military scenes could have been more bombastic and epic especially when one is talking about hundreds of thousands of troops, too little attention was paid to that, could have been a budget issue as computer graphics can be very costly.
I don't speak chinese but I do know that some old words are used to suggest a time period in many Western films and dramas and not limited to english, I speak German fluently as well. Just to read Shakespeare one has to have explanations and that was in the 1600's imagine trying to recreate Chinese from 300 AD, good luck understanding that. If people are left puzzling over what was said the whole mood of a drama would be lost, so a few words here and there just suggest an epoch. I enjoyed it very much including the Sun Ling's recaps at the end of each episode, was a clever idea which brought humour to a very serious drama.
Thank you I agree with your summation of this drama. And yes the end was surprising and heart breaking.
@@edmurks236 Thanks Ed, nice to know another like minded soul here.
@@jct35j Yes indeed.
Well said! I thoroughly enjoyed this drama too. I felt it was trying to distinguish itself from so many other dramas and movies set during the Three Kingdoms period. I understand mandarin and their manner of speech didn’t detract from the plot at all. As for large scale military action, this focused on the second Northern Expedition which was by all accounts a flop. We didn’t need to see all that action as the focus is on the imagined world of spy operatives working behind the scenes, not the traditional 3K heroic generals or soldiers. For more military action and also more traditional language, I’d suggest John Woo’s Red Cliff (the unabridged 5hr version) which offers the prequel to the events of Longxi.
@@suziecho2589 To be honest I did not mind the missing army mass scenes as it was not necessary for the plot as you so aptly stated. Thank you for the recommendation Suzie.
I watched this awesome drama from the beginning to the end and enjoyed every minute of it. It is one of the best dramas I have ever seen. At times the subtitles were a bit quick and I did not understand every word , and maybe I even got a bit confused at times but as I went along the drama plot became clearer and I looked forward eagerly to every episode. I.did not feel anything about gay couples , that's disingenuous of you, nothing like the other "gay" movies you like or recommended. In spies situations bonding with someone you can trust of respect would be very close.You need to understand male relationships better..The cinematography/lighting maybe dark but so was much of the drama theme.It was about spies and a complicated network of operations ,situations, with intrigue, mystery, plot twists, anticipation,revenge, pay back, betrayal,tragedy and very far from many frothy superficial Chinese drama often seen. This drama was maybe too demanding for you, or to subtle and too different, to challenging from the straight forward ones you usually like or recommend.It did require a bit of commitment not just a relaxation for standard drama.
I really disagree with your summation, the end was particularly interesting. Just because it was different to what you wanted/expected ?so? I have no expectations. Lots of other people will love it or at least appreciate it anyway..
You seem to be able to tell everyone how the drama should go and how you could do it better, that would be interesting.
Boring ? I think not!
I don't agree with you, I actually quite enjoy this drama, every bit of it. HAHA
it's not "spy thriller" tho. It's about spies... and you've already watched ep 16 and still didn't get that point, it's sad. Anyway, it's deffo not your cup of tea
Yep because she slept while watching the drama.
I did expect this kind of review from you since you started talking (getting excited) about FQLX back then... I'm BY (+ZYL)'s big fan since 2018. So, my standards for BY were really high and I definitely knew that he would do his work well(and he really did.) The only thing that made me feel worried abt your review for FQLX is just becoz your expectations were so high. (I'm not blaming you)Its just like you know .. the more you expect, the more you get disappointed, right? Thats why I was worried. Tbh, i'm still happy with this drama and will continue watching it till the end but I also agree with your comments on this drama (cuz it would be way better than now if they did it in the way you said). Whatever, thank you so much for your review, AvenueX. I'll be looking forward to your next reviews for BY & ZYL dramas in future (and hope those dramas will not disappoint you)
Have only watched the 1st ep so far. When I saw Bai Yu, it reminded me you'd mostly likely have a review. Good to know!
One of very few C-dramas that I completed watching these days. Love most of the performances. Love the colors and picture. I feel the editing was a creative decision. I didnt find it intrusive perhaps because I grew up watching foreign films, some with very unique/contemporary style of editing/framing. The story was intriguing at first. Made me wanted to keep watching but agree that it ultimately fell apart in the end simply because it fell into the "common tropes" of C-spy dramas.
Special forces had too shaky camera, while this drama had unmoving camera🤣🤣🤣🤣 for me both dramas are very quality high Cdramas from recent “trashies”, so I have given them 9/10
"Thought they were going to jump out with KPIs..." haha. That's so true.
I'm dead at your analogy in the end 😂
I have to disagree with the suggestion for the opening scene. OK, they are torturing someone. Why? What is at stake? Who is who? Why should I care if he speaks or not? When they started with the lost battle and the beheading of a general (this is not a spoiler, it happens in the first few minutes ), I knew what it was at stake and why they were torturing the man.
I must admit I hate flashbacks and this drama keeps them to a minimum. It only shows flashbacks to add extra information. If they started with the torture, they'd have to explain afterwards in flashbacks.
I apreciated the fact that they didn't focus on faces but on the whole body and they even show people from the back or above or half-hidden. It gives me the feeling that I read a Le Carré book. I dropped many dramas where the focus was on product placement and pretty instagrammable close-ups.
I also appreciated the darkness, the dim lights, the fleeting images. Spies are not glamorous warriors, they live in the shadows and they sabotage by deception. They also die in the shadows. Of course they had to have meetings, because this is were you sabotage your co-worker and you plant the seeds of deception.
The love stories are kept to a minimum, which fits a spy drama very well. There is enough romance for the plot to work, but they don't waste half the episode being lovey-dovey with spouses or "soulmates" or crying for stupid reasons. I am so tired of dramas who claim they are spy/suspense/mystery but they only deal with love triangles and concubines.
/end of rant
Lol i said the same last night after noticing she tried to nitpick that, if one can’t sit through 10 minutes to see where the series is beginning from and why the following events are happening, they have no business even being interested in the drama. Not to say that switch up is bad, but compared to what they actually did it’s horrible even thinking about it. Tell us later why it happened? Not just show us for 10 minutes before it all happened? Show us it’s a spy drama immediately to keep our interest? Lol idk about any of that making sense. Maybe she started to drift off amidst the long rant about her other issues lol.
Yes thanks I agree.
This is the first Chinese drama I managed to catch on the first day it aired! I had no knowledge whatsoever on the three kingdoms' history and since it was a spy story I was excited to see if the spies will manage to get away. But then I read the synopsis on iQiyi...why are they giving major spoilers? I couldn't feel nervous for the main leads since its written in the synopsis that they will get away and thwart the enemy's plans.
I agree! I thought I'd use this drama to educate myself about Chinese history: googled the 3 kingdoms, studied maps, read the iQiyi synopsis, and whaaaaaat???!! Spoilers???!!!😳🤫🤭🤦♀
Thank you for your review,I was waiting to see if it’s worth watching and I’ll just go enjoy the weather outside instead haha 🌼🌞🌸
Don’t agree with you at all! Great story line and superb acting.
Hahaha I've got to say the dramas that made their theme very clear right from the get go were Nirvana in Fire and Tientsin Mystic! Including distinctive character styling and introduction!
Yes! Tientsin Mystic (S1) is one of my all-time fave C-dramas!👍😊
That's interesting because it took myself and other persons sticking through to like 16 episodes of Nirvana in Fire before interest to care enough for the story was built, so is it fair that people have much less patience for this drama? Honestly aside from maybe the múltiple characters introductions in the first episodes, i didn't see what people were complaining about
@@greatminds1017 I feel it's not the story that's lacking for Wind Blows from Longxi but rather it's slower tempo and overall colour grading as well as the characters' "earthy" toned clothing style that's making viewers easily "tired" from watching this drama... Because this drama was initially supposed to be made as a movie version but as the producer felt pity he had to let go of many fine details and plot conversations, he ended up making this story into a drama which also extensively stretches the entire drama's storytelling. Honestly, I would have liked it very much if it was a movie where it is much packed in content and shorter conversations between characters.
If you have watched Nirvana in Fire, you can tell the big difference as to why viewers prefer NIF more than LX. It's the overall good pacing with good amount of tension and light-hearted scenes made viewers follow through comfortably. Colour grading and how every character is styled is definitely important too because it does affect people's attention span.
@@minjilover i understand, but the characters of NIF aren't spies. The characters of LX are basically wearing uniformes and aren't as rich. But even with NIF difference in color, it was very slow for me for around 16 episodes and others as well. The only reason i kept watching after 5 tries was to find out what ppl saw in it. But NIF follows an old fórmula. LX uses darker filters similar to some western historicals so to me i was fine though they did listen and adjust for IQIYI. Plus the pace in LX was fine to me. A lot of information was given so by the end of episode 1 there was much to digest. Just because there wasn't constant fighting and action doesn't mean progress in the plot was missing. There is a lot of dialogue but that's how information is collected. Not fighting but watching spies exchange tips over tea or wine. Through meetings in brothels etc. so dialogue would play an important part. Plus dialogue is what modern dramas depend on, but whatever floats your boat is fine
@@greatminds1017 So let me make it clear, NIF is definitely not a spy drama but I'm sure you got it that what Mei Changsu and Lin Chen was actually operating is indeed an olden day intelligence bureau and had spies working for them just that they were part of the pugilistic world instead of the royal family. For me, each drama opting for which dynasty's style and colour is quite important to me since I do lose attention if a drama's ambience is always gloomy or too serious... I'm not saying the characters in LX shouldn't wear uniform or plainer clothing because it is very fitting to their dynasty and situation and this is inevitable that some viewers may find it uninteresting if they are visual watchers which you could tell AvenueX is very much a visual person because she had worked in this industry previously.
I'm not saying having long conversations is wrong or what but this is where many viewers tend to feel the content being too dry whether or not enormous amount of information is being exchanged and that's when they start losing focus if many viewer are used to Chinese style visual storytelling instead of the Western style. Why I said pacing is slower for me precisely because there was too many dialogues/info going on with not much movements during the scene and it's definitely overwhelming for me but ended up nothing really progressed for the story causing the tempo to slow down.
And I think you misunderstood me... Fights scenes are definitely not important for me unless it's needed in the plot. I'm not here to argue with you what's right or wrong, honestly you have your preference and I've mine so whatever I've explained here may just be deemed as rubbish for you. And I used NIF as an comparative example because there really isn't many dramas that can be fully considered a spy drama for all these years in China's market.
I seldom totally agree with you, other than Nirvana in Fire being a masterpiece - that we can both agree on ; today I concur with most of your points - the language barrier and the boringness 😴. Also I am impressed with your story telling at 17:29. Just hearing you narrate is already infinitely more exciting than actually watching episode 1 🥱.
I also like Bai Yu and Chen Kun but this drama is really boring. I only managed to trudge through 3/4 of episode 1. I shall persevere... or maybe not. 🤔
I really don't wanna rant but AvX even didn't watch the rise of Phoenixes and has the audacity to say CK's acting in recent years isn't really good (anymore)...
Well, there is that Win the Future drama which I had to stop watching. I absolutely abhored that female lead to be honest.
This was a totally hilarious review! You had me in stitches by the end. I almost want to watch to see if it helps better my sleep, lol. Thanks!
I just have two episodes left of Under The Skin and have found it very interesting.
I really dislike office staff meetings. And this is what this drama feels like - stuck in a room with people I started actively disliking after a while. And that also goes for the too male leads who one really should root for even if their loyalties are complicated. Chong Yi was the only one I found interesting and even likable…
Ahh so beautiful! Wow this dress-up suits you the best 😍👍! So beautiful!
I fell asleep in the first episode (due to a tiring day) and never went back (due to lack of time). However, I want to restart the first episode and see how it goes. I do agree that from what I remember, it was quite slow and anti-climatic for the type of show that it is and on its pilot episode. I like the cast list so I have hopes for this drama, but I won't put all my hopes into it since there is a lack of buzz around it, along with your impression.
Since you are trying to systematically judge dramas, I understand that you more and more focus on technique details and rate them based on those aspects. However, I find out what I concern is always plots, plots and plots! And how the actors or actresses played is second important since it greatly impacts how the story is told. For the other parts you rant about I really do not care. So I would like to listen to some of your opinions and the high rating ones are indeed good. But your scores are no more as important as a guide for me to pick dramas when it has a low rating.
Nie Luan what part is he playing ?
I never heard of it before...... she fell asleep twice on consecutive days for the same drama, hahaha. it's so hilarious......
this was a very funny and interesting drama review, hahaha
You always nail it! I was looking forward to seeing your take on this drama. You hit every point right the head. I was so disappointed with the drama. I wanted to begin to get into it and love it, so much! Flat....dead...dark (visually and energetically numbing). Such a waste...was so hopeful and I want to love it. The intricate spy story line is something I love. I was particularly turned off by the BGM issue which you described so well. Also the camera wide angle to portrait switching had an irritating and numbing effect without my realizing why at the moment I was watching. There are things I love about it but I felt like someone dropped an anvil on it.
Love your hair style and costume ☺️👍🏼
Can you let me know the episode number and the time code of the ancient-same-sex-lovers-indie-house-movie-like scenes pls? Thank you, ❤️
I really enjoyed this video! Wish each of them could be this detailed - I know it's impossible. I really like (always grateful) when you explain technical aspects - always learning something new and exciting - I have no eyes for these. I think Bai Yu has a very recognizable face but it took me such a long time to figure out which character he was! The drama is super dark and boring, I only watch it because I want to know the whole story. But I don't understand it at all. I consider myself an intelligent person - I have a diploma and I didn't buy it - but if we didn't have the concise bit at the end of each episode, I wouldn't know what's going on.
*Thank you.* 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
I haven't watched but I would've thought this type of drama would be 40-60 eps long. Though I do know there's a cap of 40 eps now.
It’s always refreshing to come across an honest opinion piece. Not that I necessarily agree on all counts. I’m not exactly as enthralled by ‘Wind Blows From Longxi’ as by ‘Be Reborn’ but am feeling it’s more of a slow Trollopian burn - it improves with each episode. My main gripe is that the lack of lighting & similarly styled cast make it hard to discern who’s who. They all seem to be unkempt & have facial hair. Maybe overdoing the realism there. Also, was there a call for lip fillers when casting the 2 female leads? 🤔
I like your reworking of opening scenes. Someone ought to give you a job in that department even if it’s via long distance consultation. 😁
She did work in the Chinese entertainment industry before hopping over the seas to Canada.
i watched one eps of it and i don't know if i could go back and watch the rest. i could deal with them introducing ~50 characters in the first eps + them mixing ancient and modern lines like you said as if the audience can't understand one way or the other but what really turned me off is the "recap" at the very end... after going through all that and they are still trying to treat me like i'm a 5 by explaining everything in like 2 min...
It’s an option to sit through it or not, idk if you’ve noticed but almost everywhere else there are many viewers that are criticizing the series for being way too convoluted, them getting lost just an episode in and so forth , the recaps are for those that can’t keep up or those like me that appreciates the slight humor to lighten the mood and a refresher.
Recap is really horrendous, they only do it for iqiyi though, cctv doesn't have it
your comment on dong zijian makes me want to try this drama, i am just curious why i am seeing a lot of comments that he is suitable for same-sex art film, i know he's done art films before
What is your fave drama?
That's a great way to describe the current situation in America right now. 22:59
So the un-moving camera, dark lighting & general monotony were some of the causes of the yawns. Rambling & lack of other humanity too, I heard. Before your review, I never quite understood why I kept losing focus when watching this drama, though I can understand spoken Chinese. Besides, the two male leads are my faves. It is my fave genre, a spy drama after all and with good actors. Will try harder to resume watching when there are less tempting drama options around.
I thought I finished episode 1 but your screenshot made me realized Baiyu already appeared and I missed it? I'm confused now...
I'm watching this drama currently; and yes it is plodding. It's pretty frustrating when you are trying to grasp the main plot, really. The only ray of hope for an international audience is I think, that narrator guy who appears at the end to explain what happened to date & what is expected in the next episode. I literally, heaved a big sigh when he turned up the 1st time & waited every time he appeared to help me connect the dots. Otherwise, I'm a goner for sure :)
I can see why it bothers you so (since you enjoy language, sound and how things look/shot), whereas for other people, they can just watch it without a problem. I have not watched the drama, but maybe I will give it a try since it has only 24eps. Fingers crossed for not falling asleep midway.
your comment on dong zijian made me laugh, is it really possible for him to be in a same-sex film? it's a joke right
How insignificant...... Not even one breath for the actress in this drama...... ... Chen Kun seriously..... I was so looking forward to this.....
Wow ! Wow ! What an unpleasant surprise ! 0.5 tho 😬 ouch 😥. What a shame !
Thank you very much for the review! Your technical explanation made me understand why I am not eager to watch the drama beyond the 2 first episodes. If the technique you discuss is intentional, the drama tries to create a slow, depressing and disorienting impression. Maybe it fits the espionage genre, but still...
The problem of mixed linguistic strata is a HUGE defect. I could not watch a drama in a language that I understand if it did this kind of linguistic mix (except for comedy).
Wow! You look really pretty in this video! Thank you for dressing up!
Its so funny watching you xD. It's like watching myself rant over this Drama xD
first, you look fabulous. second, i have a mix of feelings about this drama. i agreethe beginning is a bad mess and i barely made it thru. i hate the confusion of everyone looking alike and the dark lighting all the time means truly dark episodes look just the same as ordinary ones. i was wondering why everything looked and felt the same all the time. now i know, thank you. in spite of these horrible flaws later episodes were tense, holding my breath thru cat and mouse scenes that were proper spy type cliffhangers. ep 13 upset me and now i dont feel much like watching 14....it seems like I'm getting tired of all the sameness. i wish they had been more creative with looks, lighting, and scenes. .more action, less office meetings. i took a break from it for a few days tho i intend to try to finish it, but I'm not into it really anymore. sigh . at least now i know why.
It actually gets crazy exciting after 14.
Trying not to spoil myself but I got bored after episode 6 and couldn't continue, maybe I couldn't get into it because I needed a drama that was intense and fun without too much brain power. It felt like everything was going so slow. I like the premise and like Baiyu in it but mannn even I have my limits. I see a lot of people actually enjoyed the drama, good for you.
I on the other hand, have other things I need to do and stress about so let me watch this when I absolutely have nothing else going on in my life
You look so pretty, and he hair omg!!!
I have not watched this yet, for reasons you have stated. For starters, it looks dreary dark and gloomy and I honestly thought it was a pure historic series. Being non China Chinese, I also don't recognize any of the actors, and it was only after I click on photos of it to view carefully then I realise one was Chen Kun, but that's about all the actors that I could recognise.
I would probably try to watch it and see how it goes.
I hope you gave it a chance. A lot of the internacional audience enjoy it from what I've seen, plus if You don't mind the dark setting of shows like The Last Kingdom, this should be fine though i heard they made changes to the IQIYI version.
I really enjoy what I learn about the art of filmmaking from your videos. I definitely now have a different perspective when I watch films/videos
I agree with most of what you've said and I look forword to be reborn drama daily too more than this one but most historical political dramas have issues and I was looking forword the bromance in this l
I only managed to watch half an episode and can't continue lol.
I read some comments about this drama from the mainland web sites sharing similar concerns on lighting (dark) and story telling. I had quite high expectation before it was aired and must admit that I was a little disappointed, particularly at the beginning ( first few episodes). It took about 3 to 4 episodes for me to start connecting the faces and the characters. Chen mostly wore white/brighter clothing but all other male characters (most if not all but the 2 female leads) literally have very similar hairstyle, clothing style/colour etc. Even their faces all more or less the same under the candle light! I am still watching till the final episode (24th) which will be out this weekend. The casting is amazing except for AB.
I don't know a thing about filmmaking but I think if they invest millions in making one, they should hire consultants like you to critic episode 1 before they do succeeding episodes. Lighting, camera plays, pacing, language and audience impact from people watching it on tv and in their mobile phones can already be assessed. My most important criteria is keep me glued and awake but sadly even ep1 failed me.
My story-loving writer's soul just loved this. You should be a story doctor! I do kinda like the story, though, so i will soldier on.
I love Chen Kun...why you give that rating 🥺🥺
I guess because PD f.ed up
Finally! I was waiting for this review! Thank you! I started this drama because of Bai Yu, but watching became a chore than a leisure. And yes I fell asleep as well while watching. I started looking forward to it only after almost half way through. For sure, I would’ve enjoyed more if ep1 started with the interrogation scene with Feng Caoyuan and Xun Xu!!
Crumbs, I fell asleep too !
So in conclusion the Director wanted to kill it so bad in a good way he/she ended up killing it in an unfortunate way.
That's the issue with a lot of dramas these days. There's nothing for me to want to keep watching it. Nothing interesting that makes you really want to click on the next episode. I remember long time ago when I watched Bridal Mask for example, I remember there was a good amount of time in the drama where each episode left you wanting to click on the next to find out what will happen.
I gotta say i agree w/ Avenue X on this drama. I only managed to sit through ep 1 then quit because the plot moves at a snail’s pace. Its BGM is too much for me too. I now learn not to expect great thing from highly promoted iQiyi drama. The ones they don’t promote much actually got me hooked than those they promote heavily.
it is not about iqiyi
it happens with all networks
@@loladeajoke1348 it’s just so happen this way w/ iqiyi. Tencent product is mostly predictable.
I watched ep 1 and dropped it. Thanks for your review. I much prefer the China Special Forces with Yang Yang and am enjoying that.
Yang Yang went to military school during his teenage years so military training was really something he's grown up with. That's why it feels natural for him to be in this drama 👍
@@lilspiderlily thanks for sharing! The show is fantastic. I thought he was a ballet dancer but he was actually in military school as well.
@@lilyTlily yes, Yang Yang learns ballet... at the military academy 😁. Turns out military academies in China is so wholesome
I didn't make it through the first episode and dropped. Totally didn't catch me. I'm glad I didn't waste my time. Peace.♥
I wish I could disagree…but I, sadly, mostly agree. 🥺
I haven't watched yet and now I'm scared.
You should. Its good.
I absolutely agree with everything you said and made similar comments so dropped the drama by episode 4 because I had terrible headache watching it. The only good thing happened with me that I decided to watch 2010 drama Three Kingdoms where I could not stop watching the 95 episode and having a withdrawal issues now and keep looking for similar period drama😂
Something about these “Big Male Leads” historical dramas……99% of them nowadays are just so boring. It’s pretty ironic because male audiences typically have less patience than female audiences to sit through 7+ episodes to get to the better, more exciting parts.
So who exactly is this drama’s target audience? Does its director/producer know? Are they themselves able to tolerate such slow pacing and messy dialogues if they were the audience?
Anyway, it's rude to refer to the audience as "mountain pigs".
I watched 9 minutes of 1 episode of this drama, thank. I reconsider if want this drama or Who rules the world or Blue Wisper. I will watch one episode and then I will see If want continue.
Damn the BGM is so distracting
*Haven't seen the drama yet, but generally speaking Chinese drama irks me with how much unnecessary camera movement there is. It is to the point I feel literaly exhausted if I shall finish 30+ episode drama, And sometimes even shorter one.*
看了十几分钟，没看下去
Judging by the impolite/unprofessional way you are describing this drama...I just wanna watch it entirely ...and follow the comments that say you're missing it😅
Nice
I am going to have to watch this just for the technical aspect. How she is ranting the production definitely was done on purpose. I need to see the camera language. I think its interesting real espionage is very boring . I wonder if there was a conflict behind the scenes
You watched more episodes than I could stand. I rolled out at episode 3. It was anticlimactic and just boring. I anxiously waited for this drama and was too disappointed to go past episode 3. I can deal with bad set lighting and excessive background music if the plot is right and the acting is good. You covered well the fine points of why this drama got low ratings.