#xianxia — Public Fediverse posts

You know, I started studying Mandarin 1996, and been serious about my China studies on and off since then. I've been to the National Historical Museum in Beijing, and I'm a gadgeteer to my core. Yet _this_ is the first clear picture I get of a Chinese magnetical compass*. Life moves in mysterious ways.

(*Two, actually - it's those bronze squares with spoons balancing in their middle)

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #Xianxia #CDrama

There's been so few embroideries in this production I'm convinced the director is allergic to them.
OTH that brocade! *chef's kiss* I'd kill* for something like that!

(*not really, but my wallet would cry)

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #costuming #Xianxia #CDrama

I don't remember much of chaos theory, only half the sentence that a butterfly in China flapping its wings... something, something causing humungous stuff elsewhere. This ties nicely to the saying of Zhuangzi "I dreamt I was a butterfly...", so I have a hunch that them showing up en masse here alludes both to not knowing whether you're in a dream, and to imminent chaos. Here they are hidden in the pattern on Banxia's sleeve.

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #Xianxia #CDrama

Speaking of tropes, I forgot about

•becoming evil makes you emit black smoke

And here we have one so Truly Eeeevul his smoke turns purple. I'm impressed!

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #XianxiaTropes #Xianxia #CDrama

For once it's not a classical library, but 'the hero(es) solving a problem by reading books' should be among wuxia staples, and taked its star place among immortals such as

•spitting blood when injured
•falling off a cliff but not die
•woops! we're already married
•wedding ending in catastrophy

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #WuxiaTropes #tropes #Xianxia #CDrama

A "There was only one bed" in the wild!

To be very, very, _very_ honest I'm not with the Chinese on how thick a matress should be*, but their duvets always look amazing! This one not only got the thick edge "ribbon" in a contrasting colour - the seam between the edge and the duvet top is covered with a decorative ribbon. *Chef's kiss* A+!

(*paper thin, if you ask them)

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #SetDesign #tropes #Xianxia #CDrama

Production is eager to let us know that there _definitely_ was two beds.

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #SetDesign #Xianxia #CDrama

Totto, I don't think we're at Heng Dian World Studios anymore. I might be wrong, but it looks like they're outdoors, in a more northern part of China. If that's the case it's one of several outdoor scenes where production seems to have favoured sparkly new location + outdoors over studio setting + convenience.

(The one big tell if they're outdoors? How the wind moves the actors' hair.)

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #SetDesign #Xianxia #CDrama

Yes, they are hugging, but it's episode 33 and they're almost engaged, so they are allowed.

My main focus is of the printed pattern on the hanging roomdividers in the background. White flowers on a pastel blue background, almost too delicate to see. I'd call it xianxia Marimekko, if I'd actually liked marimekko. As of now I can only put it on the list of things I'd st... buy if I ever get to Heng Dian World Studios.

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #MarthaGetsDistractedAgain #Xianxia #CDrama

China had basketball before it was cool.

(For anyone curious; it is an actual Chinese historical method of making a ball, not an invention for modern C-drama purposes. Unfortunately I neither remember the name of the game it was used in, nor the rules for said game. I don't sports so well, so these things don't stick in my mind.)

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #PropDesign #Xianxia #CDrama

Not many embroideries in this drama, but some fantastic prints. Like this cloud pattern on Banxia's shawl. The crisp lines and full hue makes me suspect it's stenciled or block-printed, not run through a fabric printer. The latter usually gives the print a 'dusty' look, though with the resources Heng Dian World Studios has I wouldn't be surprised if they have superior machines. Anyway, block-printing would be totally correct for Tang fashion

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #Costuming #Xianxia #CDrama

One for the list of 'Hollywood would never...' This is a yellow waterfall* from a character scared out of his wits. Quite tastefully done, all things considered.

Edit: apparently I was wrong - there's even possession-pissing around. Might be my inability to watch horror that hampers me.

(*he pees himself - not that I'm afraid to write that out clearly, I just liked my invented euphemism better)

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #Xianxia #CDrama

*cringe* *cringe* *cringe* Ouch! I'm waaaay too much 'above fifty' for this much cringe*! Let's focus on that lantern to the left instead. At least I think it's a lantern. A very nice one, square and round, and please let me survive this scene without a hernia!

(*reader, I have as much strength as a paper when it comes to these things)

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #FurnitureFandom #Xianxia #CDrama

To be fair to this drama; while it has few embroideries it has some really awesome prints. In my SCA days I'd have killed for fabric patterned like the backing on that blue coat. And to make past me even more jealous; judging from RedNote at least some of the materials used are over the shelf fabric in China.

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #Costuming #Xianxia #CDrama

Love Banxia's outfit here! It's skews more to ultramarine on the screen than in my pic, but both versions are awesome. Blue is one of those colours that works almost every time, it's close to cheating to use it. And that gradient on her skirt and shawl makes it all come together. The one thing I miss is embroideries - not that they're needed, it's just been very few of them in this drama. I guess they put most of their budget on VFX.

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #Costuming #Xianxia #CDrama

🔥【Multi SUB】穷小子穿越玄幻大陆绑定召唤系统，开局召远古大帝镇山门收纳绝世天骄，强势崛起撼动整片天地格局！#漫剧 #anime #animation https://www.vivizine.com/1251401/ ##ai动画 #3D #AI #AI动漫 #AI漫剧 #ai漫画 #ai短剧 #animate #animation #AnimationChannel #AnimeAmv #beastanimation #ChineseAnime #CloudTen #comedy #donghua #MIX #multi #ParentingLife #re: #ReBorn #revenge #system #Xianxia #Xuanhuan #仙侠 #动漫 #动漫合集 #动画 #動漫 #動畫 #古风 #后宫 #国产动漫 #国漫 #大结局 #女频 #小说 #微尘漫剧 #恋爱 #搞笑 #末世 #末世生存 #末日 #末日生存 #武侠 #漫剧 #漫画 #漫画解说 #玄幻 #生存 #男频 #短剧 #短劇 #科幻 #穿越 #舩水健佑 #莫欺少年穷 #萌系 #重生

🔥【Multi SUB】穷小子穿越玄幻大陆绑定召唤系统，开局召远古大帝镇山门收纳绝世天骄，强势崛起撼动整片天地格局！#漫剧 #anime #animation https://www.vivizine.com/1251401/ ##ai动画 #3D #AI #AI动漫 #AI漫剧 #ai漫画 #ai短剧 #animate #animation #AnimationChannel #AnimeAmv #beastanimation #ChineseAnime #CloudTen #comedy #donghua #MIX #multi #ParentingLife #re: #ReBorn #revenge #system #Xianxia #Xuanhuan #仙侠 #动漫 #动漫合集 #动画 #動漫 #動畫 #古风 #后宫 #国产动漫 #国漫 #大结局 #女频 #小说 #微尘漫剧 #恋爱 #搞笑 #末世 #末世生存 #末日 #末日生存 #武侠 #漫剧 #漫画 #漫画解说 #玄幻 #生存 #男频 #短剧 #短劇 #科幻 #穿越 #舩水健佑 #莫欺少年穷 #萌系 #重生

Another example of The Power Of Many Episodes (TPOMY*); the latest mystery is solved, but it has had consequences for a lot of people, and the drama spends at least half an episode exploring them. I didn't realise how much of a missing stair Western condensed storytelling felt, until started to watch these long -form shows.

(*reading it out aloud I realise it sounds like the cuddly younger brother of a pharao)

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #Storytelling #Xianxia #CDrama

A still can't make it justice (obviously), but this is one of those fights where the choreographer - and probably both the director and the storyboarder - added extra flair and had fun with it. We have the three goofy brothers protecting their big brother, red (wedding attendants) vs black (ninjas), a hot headed groom, and two-axes fight.

To be clear; the goal _isn't_ to kidnap the bride - the party just got in the way.

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #FightChoreography #Xianxia #CDrama

This is definitely the Peter Dinklage of C-drama land! Short, lots of acting chops, and versatile. Also, he's having a blast with his artist role here.

Yes, I know it would be better if I actually knew his name, but in this heatwave I'm just happy to be able to write anything.

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #acting #Xianxia #CDrama

Oh look! The three rabbits with conjoined ears! The figure exist in European heraldry, so it's interesting to see it in a Chinese context. Of course, since this drama is modern fiction production may have borrowed it, but it would be interesting to look up Chinese rabbit symbolism and...

...

*sighs and puts the rest of the thread on the long list of 'subjects I'll never write a dissertation on'*

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #Xianxia #CDrama

The tension is _thick_ here! Props to the actors glaring each other to pieces! And their work is underscored by their positioning; note how the line formed by Banxia's arms is pointing straight to Xuanyue's head. I can imagine the director getting on set just to physically position the actor's body to be in the right spot.

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #acting #Xianxia #CDrama

It pains me to say this, but I can't comment on this segment, because I'd need to bleep out so many spoilers I'd sound like R2D2. To not make a weird gap in the collection; enjoy this scene where the set almost goes in a red and blue pallette - save for that jade phoenix down to the left. I wonder if it's a plot point 🤔

Edit: it was

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #SetDesign #Xianxia #CDrama

I like those door guardians! Too bad I don't recognise them - it's not like they give you deity flash cards when you study Chinese religion on master's level*. While this style is still live in China (unlike similar European styles in illuminated manuscripts) it's not a given any set designer can reproduce it. Of course it can be prints, but allow me to dream about a talented on-site painter, please!

(*nor the time to make them on your own)

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #SetDesign #Xianxia #CDrama

That green stuff to the right isn't a start of a dream sequence - it's a reflection from my back yard. Looks like the trees are looking over my shoulder. I was to say something on how production is using frog perspective to enhance the stature of these dishevelled soldiers, thus enhancing the Patriotic Message, but now I'm more inclined to look for trolls, dragons, benevolent billionaires, and other fairytale creatures among the leaves.

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #storyboarding #Xianxia #CDrama

Alea the Black Cat keeps bothering me, and it looks like she just wants company on the porch. Hence I'm now doing my most tian yuan/cottage core C-drama commentary so far.

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #MarthaBehindTheScenes #Xianxia #CDrama

That's a _very_ interesting hat! Given how hard costuming are leaning into Tang dynasty fashion, I wouldn't put it past a designer finding the original in a Tang manuscript and go "That one's fun! Let's use it on a character!" And then they just waited for the moment - or the hat - to drop.

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #Costuming #Xianxia #CDrama

I don't know how common it is, but those tanghulu* you see sold in street scenes, are often real and provided to the extras as a snack. (Yes, I may have geeked out on Heng Dian World Studios at some point. Not that surprising, huh?)

Also, to Sweden and this delicate Swede it's way too hot rn to do anything but binge watching, so enjoy a tiny commentary marathon.

(*sugar candied fruit, usually hawthorn)

#TheDemonHuntersRomance #PropDesign #Xianxia #CDrama

A modern-day slacker ends up in a xianxia world. Arthur Chen’s magnetic charm and Wang Yilu’s comedy chops made this drama fun, even if it's not my cup of tea.

#CDrama #CDramas #Xianxia #TV #ArthurChen #WangYilu #WhenDestinyBringstheDemon

https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2026/05/07/when-destiny-meets-a-demon-review-dropped/

When Destiny Meets a Demon review (Dropped)

Let me start by saying this: I do not like transmigration dramas. It’s one genre I avoid like the plague. Alongside youth dramas, they sit firmly on my personal “I can’t watch this” list.

That said, I did give another transmigration drama by Wang Yilu a try once: Yummy, Yummy, Yummy.

It had potential because the idea of a comedy about a transmigrated family appealed to me, but things went sideways and I ended up dropping it, just like so many transmigration dramas before it.

So, when I decided to try When Destiny Brings the Demon for this month’s challenge, my expectations were not high. I told myself I’d watch two episodes, write a quick report, and move on with my life.

I’ve always found Wang Yilu, really funny. I first discovered her in I Am Nobody, so I already knew she had great comedic timing. Even though her previous transmigration drama lost me midway, the comedic moments before that were genuinely enjoyable and this show leans into that. At least in the first four episodes I watched.

Now, Arthur Chen: I knew nothing about him before this, but consider me educated. I have to admit this man is magnetic. I can absolutely see why people tune in just for him.

The first two episodes were pretty typical for the genre. What kept me going was Wang Yilu’s performance as a self-proclaimed salted fish (a lazy slacker). Watching her try to slack off but only to end up working hard for a scary Grandmaster anyway was comedy gold.

And the modernisms she brings to the ancient world was hilarious, calling Sima Jiao “boss,” asking about employee benefits, even mentioning KPIs. (Girl, I relate to your pain.)

I have to say, besides Arthur Chen being, er, hot, I found his character interesting. Maybe I just like powerful characters who are sealed for hundreds of years away by evil sect leaders (Yuan Zhong, is that you??)

I’ll admit this one goes down easier because of the pairing of Arthur Chen and Wang Yilu, and I mostly find it cute. Also, special mention to Sima Jiao’s black snake ! The most adorable aide ever.

When I started the drama, my interest level was about 60%; not a full-blown obsession, maybe slightly below “kinda interested” but enough to keep me watching.

However, life got busy, I got distracted by other dramas … and I just never went back.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the show per se. Fans of the drama said that the hugs and kisses between our leads were really sweet to watch, but I honestly wasn’t terribly invested in their relationship. They had chemistry, I suppose, but the show’s predictable xianxia transmigration plot didn’t have that extra spark that would make look forward to it at the end of a work day, let alone binge it.

Maybe I’ll watch it between intense shows, but the motivation is super low.

I think Destiny is a great pick when you’re in the mood for something light, funny, and easy to watch without overthinking.

I gave Love Beyond the Grave a good go but...Dilraba still couldn't act. Sorry not sorry 😆

Xianxia not being my fav genre also made it an extra slog for me

Anyway the first ep was barely tolerable and I found no desire to continue. Arthur Chen is dishy, but that's not enough for me.

Also, what's with the terrible production quality? The dubbing didn't feel natural, almost echoey. Dilraba and Arthur Did their own dubbing apparently. I find it a little affected but tolerable, tho some of the supporting casts' VA was awful

And the camerawork! After Pursuit of Jade it was just painful to look at lol. I miss the utter beauty of the scene framing, the gorgeous lighting....in this production everything was overly lit, so it made everything look flat.

The "next door" drama Veil of Shadows doesn't appeal to me either. Most of the actors are not great actors, tho I don't mind Joseph Zheng (I wonder what he's doing there tho).

I think I will start Ingenious One s1 instead or continue Swords into Plowshares or Mirage.

#Cdrama #Xianxia

I haven't been able to write a full review of a Cdrama for several months, but I posted my thoughts on all the recent Cdramas I've watched since late last year in the SF-Fandom forums.

#cdrama #cdramas #wuxia #xianxia

https://forums.sf-fandom.com/thread-38648.html

I realize it's an older show, but thought I'd post a reminder for #cdrama fans that I wrote a review for 'Love Between Fairy And Devil' last week.

It's available at the SF-Fandom forums.

https://forums.sf-fandom.com/thread-38547.html

#cdramas #estherYu #dylanwang #fantasy #xianxia

Random Idea:

I got Isekai'd to an Xianxia world and opened a Bubble Tea shop and invented and sold Bubble Qi

#Isekai #xianxia #idea #bubbletea

Finished reading: Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 8

Aa-aa-aa-and done!

So I like Hualian better than the main pairings in SVSSS or MDZS (no shade on either, mostly just a personal preference thing), but the story itself I think suffered from being unfocused in places and with, honestly, a pretty disappointing villain reveal.

Still a fun read, and with some parts that will live rent free with me forever.

#books #booksRead #danmei #mxtx #tgcf #xianxia

Feud ( 临江仙) review

Li Qingyue, an insignificant disciple of the Jingyun sect, finds herself in a unique position when she gains the attention of the mighty immortal deity Bai Jiusi who “agrees” to marry her.

However, Bai Jiusi hasn’t fallen head over heels for her. Instead, he believes that she’s playing a game with him. This belief lies in a centuries-old feud he has with Hua Ruyue, a powerful goddess and someone he loved and hated.

Characters

Bai Jiusi (Joseph Zeng Shunxi): A deith whose element is ice. Hua Ruyue’s husband. As they were birthed from Hongmeng and made from the same source, they’ve been entangled in each other’s existence since the dawn of time.

Li Qingyue (Bai Lu): An unremarkable junior disciple of the Jingyun sect.

Hua Ruyue (Bai Lu): The fiery goddess and Bai Jiusi’s former flame. She has a deep grudge against Bai Jiusi.

Fan Ling’er (He Ruixian): A 200-year-old immortal with great craftsman skills.

Zhang Suan (Chen Xinhai): Li Qingyue’s senior at the sect. He secretly likes her.

Xiao Jingsan (Hong Yao): An immortal with shady motives.

What I liked

• Well-developed characters with solid arcs of their own. Excellent character writing!
• It’s beautiful. I like that it broke the trend that divine realms and everyone in it had to be in white, pastels or gold. Instead, the sets and costumes are colourful and seem to get a lot of inspiration from Dunhuang art.
• The complex exploration and depiction of love, especially between a married couple. It dared to go to plot places that more generic xianxias would not dare explore.
• The acting of the main leads is great! They sold me with their performances.
• It’s an original script! We need to celebrate these.

What I didn’t like

• The show took way too long to get to the meat of the story. It painted itself too hard as a tropey, cookie-cutter xianxia (presumably to get a bigger ‘gotcha’ reaction when the real plot is finally revealed). Impatient viewers would have abandoned the drama before it got to the good parts. In fact, I nearly did! Out of curiosity, I decided to spoil myself and discovered that the drama was more than it seems.
• The writing quality is uneven and felt as if it was a case of “too many cooks spoil the broth”. The writer, Zhao Na, who also wrote the mostly-wonderfully-written A Moment But Forever is credited as the first draft screenwriter, but Ren Yanan is credited as the final screenwriter, so we can imagine what changes happened to the script on the way to the screen.
• Some plots were left unexplained.
• Some plots didn’t make sense. (For this, look at the spoilery section below)

Spoilery thoughts about the drama

They tried a little too hard to be mysterious in this drama. Some dramas explain too much. This drama, explained a little too sparsely. This made for entertaining discussions online. People’s speculations about the plots were more entertaining than the actual plot!

Most of my problems with the script were in episodes 1-10, or Ruyue pretending to be the naive, innocent human Li Qingyue. It didn’t make sense that Qingyue would behave the way she did in private if she was Ruyue in disguise. For example, at one point Ling’er spoke threateningly to Qingyue in private, and I wondered if they were putting on a show for the secret cameras in the room or something.

Then there was the main villain’s plot. Just … what was it for? If Jingsan wanted to bring his family back, and he realised the only way was to use the Time Dial that he invented, and it required his sacrifice, why go through all that trouble manipulating Bai Jiusi and Hua Ruyue? Why divide them like this and ruin their lives? If it was to erase a name on the Infinite Steele, the monument that holds back the demon realms, wasn’t there a simpler way to do this?

Far too many questions, and they could do a little bit more explaining with this one!

Thoughts about the ending

It was a most philosophical ending, leaving viewers with a lot to chew on: The role of the divine, forgiveness after unforgivable acts, and rising above hatred and regaining love that was lost.

In the end, Hua Ruyue discovers that while she cannot change her present, she could gift the people in the past a different future, creating a parallel timeline in the present.

I respect the writers for not using that convenient time device to change the future and wiping out our couple’s tribulation in the process. As the deity of time said, you can’t change the past, but I guess you can spin off another existence.

I really did want Bai Jiusi and Hua Ruyue to get their son, Shi An, back. Badly. And I was disappointed that it didn’t happen. But I acknowledge that a “reset button” would’ve cheapened their suffering and would’ve rendered one of the drama’s biggest themes meaningless: Actions have consequences.

Also, I’m also moved that the writers chose to honour such a realistic path for a married couple. Because in real life, so many couples never survived the death of their child. If a convenient reset button had been pressed, it would send the message that a couple’s love can only survive if the child is alive. But by retaining Shi An’s death for our main timeline couple, it sends a hopeful message that love can survive even such disasters, and that even gods cannot conveniently reset the consequences of their actions.

In the end they finally passed their love tribulation, but oh wow, this has to be the most traumatic and difficult love tribulation I’ve ever seen!

Still, even though I am satisfied with our couple’s ending, the last four episodes left me oddly hollow.

For one, there are unexplained plot holes. For example, they never explained that resurrection formation Xiao Jingsan made Ruyue cast. Why would Jingsan help her to resurrect her child if it didn’t help his cause? How would it help him in his quest to blot out the name? Was that even his true motivation?

I think if anything, the plot holes made the discussions about the drama more intense, and for once, for the right reasons. Often, writers and producers of a show would shoot a frustratingly open-ended ending, inciting viewers to generate lots of social media chatter, only the chatter is mostly viewers screaming at the producers for producing such a vile ending.

This time, it isn’t so. Viewers are genuinely debating the villain’s motivations, our couple’s decisions and the parallel worlds. Now, that’s how you generate after-drama chatter on social media! And you don’t need a vague, open ending for this!

I’m glad at least that Bai Jiusi didn’t end up with the dreaded reborn without memories thing, but retained all his memories. That somehow, despite the bitterness of their love tribulation they were still able to ascend beyond that. And that’s, well, godlike!

In the current timeline and the new ones that Ruyue created, Bai Jiusi and Ruyue will be happy, and no longer will they be parted by the schemes of others. Their love has literally survived the cruellest of love tribulations.

And at the risk of sounding blaise and crass, our version will have another child one day, and that’s a kind of hope.

Conclusion

Story: The writing is choppy, with a 10-episode delay into getting into the real meat of the plot. This could drive less patient viewers away. Some plots seem to end nowhere and some themes don’t seem consistently executed. But the character writing is stellar, even for side characters.

Acting: Bai Lu has been accused of “phoning it in” by playing the same characters over and over again. I don’t watch enough Bai Lu dramas to be a good judge of this. To me, the most important question is this: Does the actor fit the role?

Here, Bai Lu fits it and then some, and so does Joseph Zeng.

Admittedly, I was a little sceptical about Joseph Zeng. I first saw him in Mysterious Lotus Casebook and later Snowy Night, TImeless Love. Thanks to his big eyes, people think he can only play playful and idealistic heroes. But a cold, divine lord? Even I had my doubts. But Zeng delivered and then some. He sold me the role, and that’s all that I care about.

In one pivotal scene, I actually found myself tearing up. In general, it’s very difficult for CDramas to make me cry, so this means that their performance has moved me emotionally.

Costumes and sets: I am absolutely enthralled that the divine realm is for once, looking close to how Chinese heaven looks like, full of colour and uniqueness. Gone are the white, pastels and muted golds at last!

Camerawork: Above average, but not what I call amazing.

Rewatchability: Some heart-wrenching moments may be difficult to watch, but there are bright spots of fun that I’ll probably watch again and again.

This drama is for those who love more philosophical xianxias in the same vein as A Moment But Forever. However, if you’re looking for a xianxia with strong “CP vibes”, or one that will have romantic sweet moments, this may not be for you, as romance is just a veneer in this drama. In Feud, the philosophical exploration of love, marriage, fate and divinity takes centre stage.

Final rating: 4 out of 5

#4Stars #baiLu #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #Fantasy #josephZeng #Xianxia #zengShunxi

My kingdom for a normal #xianxia wedding 🥲

Also, is this too morbid for my phone wallpaper? 😆

#Feud #Cdrama

Feud characters voicing exactly what we are screaming at the screen to our main couple 😆 (And all xianxia couples 🤣)

#Cdrama #Feud #Xianxia

I'm enjoying this drama so much now it's unreal lol. It may be xianxia, but it's very deep and philosophical. Not a surprise as it's written by the same screenwriter as A Moment But Forever, and guys, IT'S AN ORIGINAL SCRIPT.

Chinese social media is going crazy with plot guesses due to that. Sometimes their theories are so far out that I think they'll be really disappointed that the story will just be the story of two powerful immortals having a marriage crisis lol.

The discussions around this drama are so rich because both leads have a valid viewpoint about fate, destiny, a god's duty and well, marriage.

I also love how ruthless our main female character is. So ruthless is Hua Ruyue that I really pity Bai Jiusi sometimes.

It's true what they say - you know how to hurt the ones you love the most.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0KdvU1ykVI&list=RDO0KdvU1ykVI&index=1

#CDrama #Xianxia

Love Never Fails (落花时节又逢君) Chinese drama review

“Broadcasting is a victory.” In 2022, Love Never Fails suffered a massive blow when leading actress Yuan Bingyan was officially implicated for tax evasion.

The tax evasion scandal was a big deal in China—so big that it effectively destroyed Yuan Bingyan’s career. In China, if there’s even a hint of scandal around a drama, it could prevent it from airing.

There was a smidgen of hope when the drama got a broadcasting permit. Then nothing. So much so that rumours eventually appeared that investors had written off the dramas as a loss.

Then, around 2024, rumours appeared saying that the production crew was replacing Yuan Bingyan with another actress and that male leads Liu Xueyi and Ao Ruipeng had actually rejoined the crew to reshoot some of their scenes.

I didn’t believe them until the drama dropped with little warning in late April.

What can I say? The drama’s ups and downs were more exciting than the actual plot!

The Story

Jin Xiu, the Flower Deity of the heavenly realm Zhongtian (or Central Heavens), doted on a red camellia flower since childhood. The emperor, displeased that Jin Xiu was developing feelings that could get in the way of his development as the future emperor, destroyed the camellia flower.

However, Jin Xiu managed to save the camellia by piecing back her shattered form with his finger bone. He sent her to the mortal world so that she could grow and cultivate in peace, safe from the schemes of Zhongtian.

Centuries later, Hong Ning, the camellia, achieved human form. One impulsive moment reunited Hong Ning with Jin Xiu. She vowed to find the deity who had saved her life, not knowing that Jin Xiu was the deity!

Their fates were then entwined from that moment on, lasting several lifetimes.

Characters

Jin Xiu (Liu Xueyi): The flower deity whose original form is the golden peony. He is being groomed (or pruned!) to be Zhongtian’s emperor.

Hong Ning (Hu Yixuan): Formerly a red camellia in Jinxiu’s garden, she is sent to the mortal realm to cultivate. She returns to heaven, determined to repay the deity that had saved her.

Kunlun (Ao Ruipeng): Jinxiu’s rebellious and fun-loving brother causes a lot of trouble in the heavens, but he loves his brother deeply.

Lu Yao (Xu Xiao Nuo): Jinxiu’s bethrothed, a nine-tailed fox and Great Maiden of the Northern celestial realm.

Lu Jiu (Jing Yan Jun): Lu Yao’s brother who has been neglected by their father due to him having only three tails.

Bai Cha (James Yang): A white camellia demon and a friend of Hong Ning.

What I Liked

• Liu Xueyi and Hu Yixuan are both great actors and had surprisingly good chemistry! They handled the comedic and serious parts deftly. This is especially impressive since they only had two weeks to film scenes together.
• It was pretty funny and entertaining, which was surprising. This was the kind of drama to relax with at the end of a tough day at work. One stand-out moment was when Hong Ning accidentally transforms into Jin Xiu. Watching Liu Xueyi act like a teenage girl was a treat!
• I usually can’t stand cute pixie xianxia heroines (TM), but Hu Yixuan was not just palatable but delightfully cute. I actually miss Hong Ning’s cute naivete as her character became more serious and mature.
• Some side characters had lovely character development, such as Lu Jiu. His ousting from his clan, his gratitude and devotion to Jin Xiu, and then his reunion with his sister were well done.
• For once, we got to see brothers who truly loved each other. I really enjoyed watching Jin Xiu and Kunlun support each other through their many, many trials.
• While a tired trope, I really enjoyed how each “lifetime” reinvigorated the story. It was like watching different stories starring our favourite characters in one drama.
• Hong Ning’s development from a clueless pixie to someone mature and independent was delightful to watch.
• I’m really impressed with the technology involved in replacing Yuan Bingyan. It wasn’t an AI face swap like I had feared. (The face swap in Brocade Odyssey was rather painful to look at.) Instead, actress Hu Yixuan spent two months shooting alone in front of a green screen and then a few weeks to reshoot scenes with Liu Xueyi and other cast members. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be, reacting to nothing but a green screen!

What I Didn’t Like

• The dated xianxia plot. It was indeed tragic that this drama aired at a time when the xianxia genre was declining and people were tired of the “love over several lifetimes” plot. If it had aired four years ago, it could have been a hit.
• The ‘obsessive love’ plot. Watching this after A Moment But Forever was rough! A Moment But Forever was more complex and philosophical, while Love Never Fails was “assembly-line” xianxia, sometimes mockingly called “baby xianxia” by Chinese netizens due to its simpler, more romance-focused plot.
• The repetitive torture of Jin Xiu could get to you. It felt as if they were just torturing him for the sake of it. Jin Xiu taking all that punishment nobly was slightly aggravating towards the end. I wished he could have been less passive and more proactive in protecting Hong Ning and escaping his father’s awful clutches. But no, he just reacted to things.
• Paper-thin villains. Bai Cha, the Heavenly Emperor and Empress—I’m looking at you.
• The repetitive thwarting of our couple’s romance was, well, repetitive. Towards the end, I had to take a break from all that torture before watching the final arc.
• Lord in heaven, must all celestial emperors and empresses be so nasty? It was like a rule in all Cdramaland that heavenly rulers were cruel. I wondered what divine right they had to rule over mortals if they were no better than them. Heck, they were worse!
• How passive Hong Ning and Jin Xue are! They’re often reacting to them instead of being proactive in countering them. I suppose if they had a strategy, it’ll be called “let’s be sitting ducks”.

Thoughts About the Ending

I thought maybe we should have named this drama Wedding Interruptus instead. Never had I seen characters try to marry so many times only to get thwarted each time. It got to the point where when Jin Xiu and Hong Ning finally married in the special episode (only available on Mango TV), I was bracing myself for it to be thwarted yet again.

With Cdramaland’s bad reputation for unnecessarily unhappy endings, I had been genuinely worried things would unexpectedly turn tragic or, horror of all horrors, open-ended.

As I watched the drama, I could only console myself that with a title like Love Never Fails, it would live up to its promise!

Fortunately, no—our lovely couple ended up safely in each other’s arms for all eternity, reincarnating over and over again and falling in love with each other through different lifetimes.

Liu Xueyi had earned a reputation for playing characters who ended up widowers, so I was glad Jin Xiu succeeded in marrying his sweetheart this time. (Though, mind you, he had had another successful marriage in Qing Luo.)

Here’s to more successful weddings in the future!

* Annoyingly, the wedding takes place in the first extra episode that you can only watch on the MangoTV. It’s about 16 minutes long, and I think it’s worth it.

Conclusion

My friends, watching this after the deep and philosophical A Moment But Forever had been rather… difficult.

Love Never Fails was everything I hated about xianxia: a dumbed-down, shallow, romance-focused plot with passive, “love-brained” heroes and a cookie-cutter, assembly-line story I’d seen a million times before.

Honestly, without Liu Xueyi, there would have been very little to attract me to this drama. He was known for his powerful acting, and while he didn’t have as many powerhouse scenes here, he still grabbed me due to his sheer talent and charisma (and, er, looks).

I was a little kinder to it than I would have been if it hadn’t been led by the capable Liu Xueyi and Hu Yixuan. I was especially impressed with her because she had spent two months shooting with just a green screen and no castmates, only filming with Liu Xueyi for two weeks.

This drama’s difficult production history had also earned it some sympathy points from me.

Still, despite its unimaginative plot, it was charming in its own way. It was a relatively stress-free drama to watch after a hard day’s work. (Okay, fine, maybe not completely stress-free, but the first ten episodes had been especially sweet and funny, and our leads had great comedic chops.)

I’d say just watch this without many expectations, and you’ll be entertained.

Final rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

#25Stars #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #Fantasy #LiuXueYi #LiuXueyi #loveNeverFails #netflix #review #reviews #romance #TV #Xianxia

On my reading blog, I review Love Between Fairy and Devil Vol. 1 by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang. The original novel on which the Netflix series is based is completley different from the adaptation, but very good and entertaining.
https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2025/05/love-between-fairy-and-devil-vol-1-by.html

#bookreview #xianxia @bookstodon

How it feels like watching Love Never Fails

Or any xianxia

Cute/romantic moments -> tragedy -> repeat 10x

You know you love it admit it

#Cdrama #Xianxia

Finished reading: Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 7

After the last volume being such a banger, this one was a bit . . . meh? Partly because it just felt there was too much — too much plot, too many characters, too many side-stories — which I guess is very much an MXTX hallmark, but as someone who tends to prefer closer and more intimate stories, this kind of “crossover special” shtick doesn’t work for me.

The other one was the White No-Face reveal. I’d actually been trying to avoid spoilers for once, but had still managed to figure out most of the plot based on fedi vagueposts. And this is another one of those “for me personally” things, but I don’t like the actual reveal as much as the fake-out, which I firstly thought was foreshadowed better, and secondly I just found more thematically interesting. So . . . that was kinda a letdown.

Finally, Hua Cheng is inching into bratty bottom territory, which again is Big MXTX Energy . . . but does my id totally cold. I’d been enjoying Hualian because it didn’t have this dynamic, but . . . here it is, I guess. Even if only a teeny tiny bit.

Anyway. I guess we’ve got another six months before I remember to buy the final (?) volume. So . . . look out for that.

#books #booksRead #danmei #mxtx #tgcf #xianxia

Finished reading: Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 6

Oof. What a volume, ey.

#books #booksRead #danmei #mxtx #tgcf #xianxia

Back from the Brink review

The ancient dragon Tian Yao had the worst wedding day ever. The woman he loved and was about to marry betrayed him by dismembering him, stripping him of his dragon scales and then sealing his body parts in five places. Fortunately, his soul manages to escape and he reborns, but with hardly any power. He encounters Yan Hui, a Taoist woman disowned by her sect, who happens to possess his heart protection scale. Tian Yao uses Yan Hui to retrieve his stolen body parts, but eventually they grow fond of one another and set on an epic journey to recover his body and restore balance to the world.

Characters

Tian Yao

An ancient dragon who was far too naïve for his own good, he learned the hard way not to trust humans — especially the Taoists who hunt down spirits like prey.

Yan Hui

A Taoist disowned by her sect, she is a free-spirited adventurer who believes spirits are equal to human beings.

Bai Xiao Sheng

A mysterious man who practices “dark arts”, he has an agenda that involves Tian Yao and Yan Hui.

Su Ying

Honestly, she’s the big bad for me, the one who caused Tian Yao the most pain. A stern, cold-hearted Taoist master, she has only one goal in mind: To use Tian Yao’s body to keep her lover alive.

You can also watch the review here:

https://youtu.be/rCy2U3Mhzo8

Or have a listen to the episode on Spotify.

What I like

The dynamite premise

Seriously, wasn’t that story that grabbed your heart? A once mighty dragon falling down to low depths, betrayed by the woman he loved. That was what attracted me to the show.

Neo Huo as Tian Yao

He was really good. Congrats to his stylist! He sure did a good job because Tian Yao looked really good.

Sympathetic villains

What I found pleasantly surprising was how three-dimensional the bad guys were. They have good, almost relatable reasons to be bad. Well, except for the big bad. He was just nasty.

But for some of them, even the loathsome Su Ying, I find myself sympathetic to their grievances and hope somehow that they can getter a better life in the next life.

Interesting romance side plots

There were other couples in this drama whose romance I enjoyed. Some ended well, some tragically, and I felt for all of them.

What I didn’t like

Uneven tone

Is it a comedy or a tragedy? When the cutesy Pokemon-like spirits drifted into view, I just got thrown out of the moment. Was I supposed to think about it as a cute fantasy or an epic, dark fantasy? It veers from both themes wildly throughout the series.

The bad CGI

I have seen worse, but couldn’t they have stuck to the tragic tones of the story and do away with Pokemon visuals? I found it jarring.

Nosedive in script quality midway

I dropped this drama at episode 15 when the story took a turn for worse.

The tiresome love triangle

Bai Xiao Sheng (pic above), whom I really thought was unique and different, morphed into a stereotypical jealous second male lead. He deserves way more than that sad role. (Fortunately, they dropped this nonsense later.)

And then, Tian Yao did something mind boggling that didn’t make sense.

To add oil to the fire, the three of them ended up wandering around this alternate dimension, the love triangle dynamics in full force. And then there was something about pixie kids…

It took me about a month to brave this drama again.

But this time, I skipped the annoying episodes and started at episode 20.

To my surprise, I binged the episode in a few days. The storytelling improved a lot and the storu got decidedly more interesting and ironically, it wasn’t the main couple that pulled me back in but the story of the King of Qinqui and his twin brother.
Wow, the actor played both roles amazingly.

Conclusion

It will take a very patient viewer to stick with Back from the Brink and appreciate it.

Show is something that makes me sigh in sadness. It could have been soooo good.

If only the plot didn’t take a nose dive at episode 15.
If only the cutesy CGI was done away with.
If only they could be consistent with the tone of the show.

While the two leads were not mind-blowingly great actors or have awesome chemistry, they were good enough. But they were hobbled by the subpar script.

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

#25Stars #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #Fantasy #Xianxia