There's WAY TOO MUCH I Can Say About A Journey to Love - Final Review [CC] 

The irony. I think Liu yuning is much better looking than a lot of chinese actors that are considered good looking. Calling him ugly makes no sense to me.

The way Li Tongguang kept going back and forth from "I've gotten over my shifu" to crazy shifu-obsessed psycho made me so angry. Way to destroy a potentially great character arc.

I don't understand Chinese beauty standards because everybody in these dramas looks beautiful.

1. This drama made me a big Alen Fang fan. He did amazing in this role. And I LOVED what they did with the princess's character 2. The ML and FL did such a great job (and the ML is hot, people need their eyes checked) 3. Think I consider this almost a perfect drama if I pretend it ended at Ep. 34

This drama has issues, but the one thing that makes it the best period drama of the year for me is that it portrays REASONABLE characters, who talk things through, communicate, not the usual one dimensional villains or lovers. The writing felt actually smart, and didn't feel like my intelligence was insulted, like in so many other dramas. I completely agree on the little princess, she is also one of my favorite characters in this drama, alongside Ren Ruyi. Yu Shisan too. The side characters are truly memorable, not just stumbling blocs to highlight the main leads. It feels like a story with depth.

Liu Yuning is such a charismatic actor. To call him ugly is crazy ☠️

As an international viewer, I’ve actually always thought Liu Yuning was incredibly handsome! 🤷‍♀️

Liu Yuning is so talented, beautiful and act very well. The plots and everything are well arranged and literally best drama for me.

I didn't find the ML ugly and why do the actors have to be "pretty" to work in drama's? I like the acting and interaction of the group. I was invested in this drama from start to finish. Each character hit theyre mark. It was a sad ending, but that happens in war. I didn't let social media criticism stop me from watching and will probably watch again.

I don't care whatever those blind haters say.Yuning is handsome and the drama is my fav CDrama for this year. Thank u IQIYI for this masterpiece And I cried a lot lol

Am an international fan of Liu Yuning, from the first time that I heard him sing an OST for a drama, I got hooked. Watched him in THE LONG BALLAD, LEGEND OF ANLE and A JOURNEY TO LOVE, and he is very GOOD with his acting, so I don't get what's the problem with these HATERS. LIU YUNING IS A VERY GOOD ACTOR AND A VERY GOOD SINGER PERIOD.

'Your mother didn't beat you up enough' really got me. As an international viewer, I was flabbergasted by the vicious attack on LYN looks. Like?? How?? He has beautiful body proportions for period drama with Hanfu, his movements were majestic without trying too much, and he has charisma as leader of the pack, we all can witness it in the drama. Attacking someone's face, well he is far from ugly anyway, is LOW. And I hate this part about cdrama industry in general, the smear campaigns are massive and vicious, on the other hand, you can love someone blindly to the point of worshipping a human being. That was crazy. There are a lot of things you can objectively criticize from this drama like you said, we invested our time and loved those characters in 34 episodes just for the writers brutally unalive them by the last 6 episodes, for no reason whatsoever. So unnecessary and rushed IMO...

Okay, but Liu Yu ning being insulted for looking ugly is a big pile of horse crap, because he is hot and I will fight everyone who says otherwise. Anyways, A journey to love was such a good drama, this is one of those rare instances where 50 episodes are actually encouraged compared to 40 episodes lol. The only thing that threw me off was how everyone just started dying at one point, and how stupid Li Tongguang gets out of nowhere. In addition to that we never really heard how the Empress of An and Ren Ruyi got closer? A fun, enjoyable drama neverthless.

Yu Shisan played by Fang Yilun definitely left a strong impression. A unique refreshing character who was not merely a comic relief but agreed that I wish we could have gotten more screentime for him so we could see more of what he was as a person and his character arc too. Yang Ying was the complete character and had the best development arc and watching it happen as a viewer was so satisfactory. He Landou's acting really was the cherry on top, she owned her scenes I loved her so much! Li Tongguang was a constant point of frustration. So much screentime and yet you get the same thing again and again.Such unexplored character development, he had potential but everytime I would think that okay I might like him now, he would go and do something that would make me wanna smack him.Really felt like such a waste. An issue with the ending I have is I'm tired of open endings. Even if Chu Yue was having a dream, honestly it was weird to me that we see her, not Yang Ying and not Li Tongguang bidding farewell. Like why her?!

As a westerner, i find Liu yuning very attractive! His eyes are not too small...he's got gorgeous lips and soft eyes... Love him!

He Landou was actually a surprise! I had goosebumps by watching her acting! Some of her scenes were unforgettable and superb!

There's enough supportive comments about the Liu Yuning issue, and I'm on the train. However, I agree with everything you said in the video. There are issues with the drama, but it definitely was still a stand-out from all of the other dramas this year! One of my favourites so far! It had amazing characters and yes I ABSOLUTELY LOVE A-Ying's character, so much growth and we're there to see her grow throughout the drama. She grew up so well~ 😭

Really don't understand the hate towards Liu Yuning. I find him handsome, tall, manly and perfect for the role. Some netizens are so nasty and shallow. This drama is great! And really, must we always see the same 'pretty' faces (not all great in acting) over and over again? SMH.

Thank you so much for covering the ridiculous hate on the drama and the lead. I am thoroughly enjoying this drama and the main characters as well as the supporting roles are doing a great job. It is so enjoyable to see characters evolve in ways that make sense in the overall story.

The casting for this period drama was mesmerizing. This role was made for Liu yuning, he’s absolutely stunning. I can’t count how many times I’ve rewinded his scenes. The camaraderie between the group stole my heart. I absolutely loved this drama, just hated the ending.

我2021年就認識劉宇寧 他一直是認真努力善良上進的人 真的很受傷他這次被如此傷害 希望他能度過這個難關😢

OMG you actually shook my world because I kept feeling like the actor playing Du Zhang Shi was so familiar and turns out he was in My Bratty Princess with Jang Nara and Alec Su!! I looovveeddd that drama growing up and wow how time flies.

I agree with you on your overall rating and I enjoyed the drama so much. I was very emotionally moved by the characters and enjoyed the costumes, fight scenes and cinematography. My opinion is that it would be a toss up between this drama and Lost You Forever for which is the best in 2023. Thanks for explaining the hate movement to the international viewers as the comments for some of the episodes didn’t always make sense. I have noticed that certain factions in some Asian fandoms can behave in very toxic ways.

I'm so glad you decided to talk about this, A.X. What has gone on has been poisonous and wrong and so so hurtful to LYN. It has seemed concerted, it has seemed orchestrated to many of us too, but why?? The comments about his look are spurious - he looks magnetic, beautiful in this drama. NO, he is not a pretty little boy/idol. Can there not be any thought to what the character he played was - a deadly warrior, a leader, a man whom his team would die for? The vicious campaign against him has been maddening and, I don't know, just cruel. Maybe we will never know who has been behind it, but for those who care about this high quality drama and the truly stunningly talented LYN, we will continue to fight back.

Feels weird watching your video bcs it feels like you're speaking out whats exactly in my mind about this drama😂😂😂😂 Despite the rushed ending, it is still overall good, 8.5 point from me. Its very clear from the start that this is a character-driven, action-packed, romance drama... So im glad that they give many highlight moments to each character, to the fight scenes, and the mature relationship between leads. Not only FL/ML, they also managed to make so many likeable support characters, for that reason i call this as the most successful group drama of 2023. I'm a Liu Yuning fan... all of those attacks on his appearance and slanders about him having capital to change scripts etc have been going around since cast announcement last year... but it got even more terrible when the drama aired... I should admit all of those bullying even made me stress and depressed, they even call him with animal names, like he's just a very low creature... his fans even got scolded for saying he's handsome, we're not blind and he has many talents plus good personality thats why we like him😭 so I can't imagine how he handles this bullying, a year long bullying and i think it will still continue when his currently filming drama airs later. Its all baffled me how those ppl say he has capital to change script for him and to get him more screentime, if they watched the drama they will find that Ning Yuanzhou is the only main character who has no flashback to his past story, no significant character development, he's there as the most stable character that helps other characters to grow🤦‍♀️

I so agree with you. These awful people who have nothing better to do than to bully in such a vicious way, totally disgust me. Love the movie, love Liu Yuning. I find him good-looking, absolutely charming. He has such a great sense of humor. In this day and age, to see people being bullies makes me sad. I really wonder how they would feel, if this was one of their sons being attacked like this !

I saw this Drama....and I really love it. I find it super. Liu Yuning is a very good actor with so much expression.I saw him first in The Long Ballad Drama with Wu Lei and I saw potentials......Go go go Liu Yuning. A Good Singer too.....🎉❤🎉.Waiting for his another is upcoming Drama

he's not ugly, wtf is their standard?

I’m such a big fan of Liu Yunning. It’s so sad how many hates he’s getting because of his looks. Looks can only take you so far tbh… if netizens do their research they’ll know what an incredible and humble man he is. I love his voice and he is my #1 Chinese singer and actor. To those who don’t know he started his career on the street with his band singing songs and coming on live. I’m sure people saw his talent and he’s now a famous singer for a lot of Chinese OST and now his acting career is launching. I’m so proud of him!!! He definitely started from the bottom up and for that I give him much respect for his talents!!! Fighting Liu Yunning!!! I’ll be your biggest fan ❤️ In my eyes… you’re so handsome :) Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder!!

It was so good at the beginning, and then at the end it was like - 'I didn't think of an ending..... let's just kill everyone and then kinda hint that the main characters aren't dead! 😃 I'm a genius' Like..... what a let down.

LTG这个角色才真是资本塞进来，估计各方势力打架，把这个角色线改得稀烂。其实不管网上架吵成啥样，行内应该懂到底啥回事。我还是看好刘宇宁选本子的眼光，未来可期。

I agree with your review 200% with Li Tong quan being the most weak and annoyed. ML and FL are perfect for each other. Liu Yuning is tall, handsome, and charismatic! LTQ is pathetic and psychotic. Yuning stands out as the Alpha Male, the mature, master like figure to LTQ. I can turn around and rewatch this drama asap without missing a beat. Never before do I feel so glued to the character developments, that endear each actor to my heart. Great Directors. I wish it is 50 to 60 episodes for proper character development. 9.8 rating for me. Could be a 10 with continued thorough character development. The attacks on Liu Yuning has gotten to stop. Shameful. Vicious. Inhuman. Barbaric. I loved his charact4er in the Legend of Anle!

Started the drama the minute it aired because of LIU YUNING,i loved every second of it and have zero regrets. Though i was shocked and sad about the ending it was great.It's my second favourite drama of this year after mysterious lotus casebook 😊

LYN is a very talented man, his talent alone is enough to make him a very attractive person

In real life, those who attacked Liu Yining are so much uglier, have no life, no future, divorced, got fired from his work, etc..

One thing that is for sure, I didn’t regret to watch this or purchase subscription for this coz it was still amazing and still rewatching for the nth time..😊😊😊😊 I give this a 10 because even the death scene was portrayed nicely… All characters got the right screen time for you to love them.. LYN being ugly?😂😂 He is the one of those charismatic,handsome actor out there.. not a pretty boy type,but a MANLY type of guy😊😊 The only handsome well in my category is wang ziqi, Wallace chung,wang kai, roy chu and liu yuning😆 My favorite character is Ning yuan Zhou and Yang Ying..

I really enjoyed this movie I think that Liu Yuning is very attractive and he is a good actor. I thought all the characters did well in this movie.

Everything you said about Liu Yuning is just on point. I personally don't think he is ugly. He is good looking. I think he did realyl well in this drama. P/S: I watched this drama because you recommended it. 😄

Re: the looks thing, it was the same against Ren Min (the character she played is not supposed to be the prettiest, just the most rebellious). Main characters don't always have to be the prettiest, especially if that does not fit with the story.

If only i knew more chinese and more familiar with chinese social platforms i would be defending LYN as if it were my job 😭 but actually just hearing the few things you mention that have been said about him just breaks my heart and makes me want to cry. he’s achieved so much through pure determination and hard work, i admire his resilience and maturity so much when it comes to all the hate. He has such a unique aura and charisma and charm, not to mention his gorgeous voice and height and bone structure….. The fact people dont watch just because they think hes ugly is absurd, maybe thats why so many dramas now are so bad because they choosse pretty actors instead of talented ones because thats what ppl want 😭

Apparently Mark Chao was criticized as not being good looking enough or his acting abilities were questioned in getting the roles in Eternal Love (TMOPB). It's my all time favorite cdrama and I can't even imagine anyone else playing his roles of Ye Hua and Mo Yuan. He was extremely appealing and sexy as Ye Hua. Men can be very attractive without having a baby boy face or lacking dimples (is that a thing in China, a majority of actors/actresses have dimples). I found nothing wrong with Liu Yuning's looks. Wallace Chung is one of the most appealing actors imho and he's not a drop dead gorgeous type of guy. Those who are criticizing should look in the mirror.

I agree with you on the attack on LYN, that’s why I don’t use social media nowadays. It’s just very extreme, subjective, and hateful.

Liu Yuning is not ugly, he so fine, tall and damn good looking 😍. They need to put him in more dramas, i can look at him and never get tired 😂😂😂. The one that say he ugly are just jealous of his good look 😂🥰

I agree this is the best drama in 2023, the brotherhood and peace for the people trump everything! The ending befits every character, Liu yilung is handsome!! Those Chinese haters are disgusting!!

Really like this drama. Liu Yuning is good looking & a great actor. Saying he is ugly is really stupid, his looks give him character, opposed to what people think as being handsome! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!😊

Loving this Drama!! Yuning captured my attention in "Ultimate Note" , grabbed my ❤ in "Long Ballard "" , this is where we see him as Sexy, Manly and absolutely adorable!! Li Shi Shi never disappoints, beautiful as always, she amazed me with this performance!! Once again, Thanks Avenuex for your intelligent and well spoken point of viewe🎉🎉

I don't think Liu Yuning is ugly. He is not a "pretty boy" but I still think he is appealing.

I’m so glad you’re review is all rounded covering problems within the drama and outside of the drama. I loved the drama and I’m still having withdrawal symptoms. Your final review gave me the closure I never knew I needed.

This was my favorite drama last year. The cast was amazing. The OSTs were stunning. And yes, Liu Yuning was so good in this one. Obsessed with him

Omg!! Thank you for defending Liu Yuning!!! He is already so talented as a singer and personally, to me he is extremely handsome. I just couldn’t stomach the hate this guy was getting from anti fans. I don’t get people’s obsession with looks. At some point if you put all the standard good looking people together, it will just turn into a copy and paste situation. I appreciated the fact that it wasn’t some 20 year old actor playing his character.

Thank you for the in-depth review. I agree with everything. I had so much hope for the Li Tong Huang character at the beginning, but as the story continued, I couldn't connect to him. The acting didn't help the completely baffling writing. I wish the last scene was Princess Yang Ying recalling her friends. I didn't understand the choice of Chu Yue. Yang Ying is the one that we rooted for most and is the heart of the drama. She should have been the last one to tie everything together.

I don't care about whatever cast, but the pacing!!!!!!!. I don't mind that all the main cast died, but the story's pace is. Then I read on Twitter that the screenwriter was disappointed that "the chief" changed the plot without communicating with her. I still don't understand C-ent's culture; so many surprising things, LOL. Ren Xin is the most gorgeous character in Chinese drama this year. I love Liu Shishi's Performance in AJTL. Thanks for making actual female cross-male makeup, and I love Feng Yilun ( he is the lost brother of Hyun-bin; every time I see FYL, he reminds me of him). I love that those rulers ( all the Emperors) were depicted as Greedy people. it is so rare in Chinese idol drama, and I love how they FINALLY make characters in their 30s.

They did the same thing when Liu Yuning played Hua Du with Zhao Lusi in the Long Ballad... and that couple pairing was my absolute favorite

Unfortunately I think the biggest flaw in Chinese dramas (among other things) is usually pacing. The beginning tends to be decent or passable or fantastic but by the 70% point, the resolution with the final battle/villain tends to condense to 2-3 episodes when the beginning 70% was supposed to build up to it. I was really hoping Li Tong Guang and Chu Yue were going to end up together and develop an enemies-to-lovers relationship. I also initially thought Li Tong Guang was supposed to be vicious and strong yet he kept getting his butt kicked so it made me wonder what was so great about him hahah

I loved the drama and all the character developments up until the crazy plot and rushed and illogical pace towards the last 7 or 8 episodes. It made me so angry and left with feeling disappointed. It’s one of the best drama I’ve seen in 2023 until the later episodes. I do love the growth and arc of the Princess. Also loved Yuanlu. Loved the CP between the 2 leads and how they treated each other with respect and saved each other (and not always one saving the other). 劉宇寧’s acting improved and I wish to see him in more well scripted dramas next year.

I watch according to your recommendation most of the time, because I found your reviews appeals to my liking. I'm waiting for the best list to watch during the new year vacation

I think people decided it was a big female lead drama because they saw that Liu Shishi was one of the leads. Based on her seniority and popularity (and them not considering Liu Yuning to be up to par with her in terms of popularity and bankability) they decided that the only way she would take the drama is if she was the main lead. The hate train toward Liu Yuning was definitely unjustified and I'm glad the drama was as successful as it was in the end. I enjoyed the relationship between Ning Yuanzhou and Ruyi because they felt like two equals for the most part. They were open, honest and always communicating with each other. I also liked their sweet/romantic moments as well. He Landou/ Yang Ying was definitely the standout to me too, her character growth was great and He Landou really sold herself as an actress. She fit the role perfectly and was very convincing as a young Prince, moreso that what dramaland usually gives us when a female character is cross dressing. I think the show did a good job in showcasing the rest of the supporting cast and allowing the actors and their characters to shine. I also have to agree with the criticisms of the Li Tongguang character. I get that his obsession with Ruyi is supposed to be a weakness but it was honestly annoying seeing him continue to do the same dumb thing of trying to win her back by acting crazy and jeopardising the mission. It would have been better if they had made him a full villain so at least his actions/motivations would be consistent. They wanted him to be a redeemable character but for that to happen he would need to be consistent in his 'I am a better person now arc' instead of flip flopping. This is one of the rare shows that I think would have benefitted from having anywhere from 10-15 extra episodes so that the ending could have been as great as the beginning. I'll probably end up rewatching the show at some point next year though.

I wanted to see li tong Huang and princess being happy because they’re the 2nd leads. And see him grow up and her being happy.

Lou Luning is in top of my list in Chinese actors who can act very well.

Agree with #AvernueX' point on the hateful attacks of the male lead's look. If it's only about looks, why not just swap out all human characters in Chinese dramas for flawless AI-generated ones? It's really disheartening to see shallow criticisms overshadowing the heart and soul actors put into their performances. How did Chinese youth get so caught up in superficial judgments like these? Despite the adoration for the main female actress on social medias, I personally found her acting to be rather dull. On the other hand, the actress portraying the young princess deserves more recognition for her exceptional acting skills. She adeptly depicted the character's evolution from a timid princess to a formidable queen.

The male lead is so handsome than other actor

Loved your review and I totally agree especially on the last problem point. Li Tongguang's character had so much potential but whoever did the final editing messed him up. He could have been on developed into a better support character but instead we get this forced obsessed disciple that annoyed me every time he came on the screen. Of the characters in this drama the leads Ren Ruyi and Ning Yuanzhou plus their gang are the ones I invested so much love for. The reason I continued watching the drama even though I know they would be dead in the end. The love between the lead characters was very mature. Adding the 6 Halls gang with Yangying created a family that I dearly loved. Also, Yu Shisan will forever have a place in my head for being so funny and lovable at the same time. I have rewatched this drama multiple times now mainly focusing on the scenes of the characters I mentioned above, that's how much they made me love this drama. Hopefully as you said other dramas don't go this rushed ending route, just do a season 2, platforms can get more money that way if they actually think about it. Anyway became a fan of Liu Yuning because of this drama and looking forward to his future work.

I love Liu Yuning ❤

Hope Liu Yuning gets more good dramas❤❤. That would be a slap for his haters 😂😂❤❤

He s perfect for the role- what’s this bashing?

Thank you for voicing for Yuning¡ I think he is both humorous and talented, with extraordinary vocal and performance. He himself is absolutely a legend if you understand how tough and how strong he is during his efforts from a street singer to the most talented,popular singer in our era. I wish him a bright future and believe he can get more audiences’ love. He deserves it¡

I loved this drama so much. I cried so much. Loved all the mains, the story, the music, everything.

For me this drama was like a train that midway through the journey has lost its breaks. It started off way too slow (for my taste) and finished with a fast wall splatter. I liked that almost every character has a back story and they seem to be alive, to want things other than simply support the main leads and carry on the plot. Beside the main leads, I enjoyed He Landou's character and interpretation, and I enjoyed the chemistry between Fang Yilun and Chen Haoyu. Li Tong Guang was the biggest miss: the character was all over the place, and the actor didn't seem to have the experience/talent to hold on his shoulders such character. While the drama plot was enjoyable, midway through I found myself wondering if all the plot was really necessary. It felt like reading Scheherazade's stories. Why are Chinese dramas this long? It is my second year of watching them and I still don't get why, even though they have 40 hours on their hands, they (still) don't manage to tell a good story from beginning to end and why, oh why, the last few episodes are always crap? Is it a general rule in the contracts or something? Also, on the subject of beauty, as an international viewer (Europe, Romania) actors like Liu Yu Ning, Jiang Xiao Lin and Li Yun Rui are more attractive than actors like Xiao Zhan, Yang Yang and Zhang Bin Bin. But since beauty is more subjective than talent I rather appreciate actors for their talent, than their beauty. I don't know why "fans" are so intent on discussing physical attributes. It is anyway difficult for the actors to hear their work dissected and commented, but when the comments turn so personal, I feel really bad for them. They are humans too and at the end of the day, acting is just a job.

Musician Chen is amazing! The ending ruined this for me, but yes it was well acted and well done before the ending. Liu Yuning is wonderfully sexy and attractive to my Western eyes.

I cant imagine how toxic Cbiz is. Yi Nian Guan Shan is a fantastic drama for me to enjoy. The characters have brought me plenty of laughters and tears, but above all, the attempts and devotions of the casts and Liu Yuning himself touched my heart. In my opinion, he is talented and good looking. Best wishes for him. Love from Vietnam ❤❤❤

It is wonderful to see an actor who looks real-not cookie cutter pretty boy. No plastic surgery.

A journey to love is my most favourite costume dramas of this year ❤

I will definitely be rewatching the drama up to the rescue of the emperor in the future, despite it having issues I think there is something genuinely great in there. After that point..... I would just like to know what happened there because it's a nonsensical mess. Li Tongguang's character... Jesus Christ. I loved him up until he got told off the second or third time and it became clear there will be no character development going on. Then he got the same exact talking to half a dozen times and stil filp-flopped between being obsessed with Ruyi to being a normal capable character. And then he gets everyone killed. An actual headache of a character. The last time a drama p*ssed me off like this was Rise of Phoenixes. So much potential to be ruined I actually got angry. Edit: Also the hate against LYN is nonsense. He's not playing a pretty boy, he's playing the chief of a spy agency. Why would he be a pretty boy? If anything the actor that should be getting criticism is Li Tongguang's actor. He didn't do a good enough job and his character isn't well written. But he's pretty so netizens don't have anything so say.

Из России с любовью! Великолепный и исчерывающий анализ прекрасной дорамы. Несмотря на совершенно справедливые претензии - мы приняли и полюбили всех персонажей этого сериала. Прекрасные и незабываемые образы главных героев. Замечательные и очень живые образы всей команды. Вместе с ними мы совершили путешествие к любви. Любви к женщине, к друзьям и верности боевому братсву, верность долгу, Родине. И это хорошо, что мы не болеем навязанными гендерными болячками. Мы тут в России ценим сильных мужчин, любим их за мужество, стойкость, готовность закрыть собой всех, кто им дорог и тех, кто просто слабее и нуждается в защите. У Лю Юйнина - много поклонников в России, как у певца и теперь еще талантливого актера. И мы считаем его красивым мужчиной с яркой и не слащавой внешностью. Он трудолибив, упорен, харизматичен и невероятно сексуален.

Liu Yuning es maravilloso. Sus personajes los representa con mucho estilo. Es un excelente actor.

After hearing about people talking sh** about Yuning I thought maybe I’m biased so I showed his pic to my sis and she legit said “whoever thinks like that should be crazy, this man is absolutely charismatic and handsome what are people on?” And I couldn’t agree more… and she hasn’t even seen how good of a actor and singer he is…

This drama would deserve your 2,5 (maybe even 2,8) gold mines if ended at the 34th episode. But it didn't and the last 6 eps do not qualify to be rated, so much they lack logics, sense and respect for the audience. I agree with you the story had too much things to tell to let them fit into 40 episodes, but sorry, the director spent so much time on slow-mo with (unnecessary) music, kisses with weird light in the background (or LTG's continuous relapsing into his obsession): if the action part in the last part of the story was convincing, the director would not waste so much time, because the actions (and not the characters!) represent the basic grammar, the bone-mascular structure of any story. So, it is simply impossible to exempt the scriptwriter from her responsabilities. When creating the story, was she clear about the answers on following questions: 1) do I write a comedy or a tragedy? If I write a tragedy, I have to focus on things that Iead to a tragedy, i.e. on the political plot, Beipan people (and how they managed to invade without being timely seen, their "inside job" within the powers of An etc.), 2nd prince, LTG's misunderstanding of the situation.... We agree that nothing of that was done, but it's not the only issue. If this (tragedy) was the case, the scriptwriter could have offered some comedy, but only as a sc. "comic relief", you can't write the whole story as a comic romance. Which functioned fine: the maple leaf on the face remains memorable, the main members of the crew not taking themselves too seriously as well, and even the secondary characters, like Mr. Du, have their rightful place in the story. But if I write a comedy, I simply cannot "kill them all", I can't massacre the characters I've put so much effort into and the audience developed so much feelings and care: if somebody dies, it must be a sacrifice which must make sense, with pathos and deserved recognition/admiration. We haven't got that either. This confusion is due to the scriptwriter who wasn't able to be honest with herself and answer the basic question: what kind of story do I write? 2) LTG's character is also her fault, you can't blame the young actor who can't bring out or propose something for the character which is so... inconsistent and btw., make the FL inconsistent, too. Some adolescents do fall in love with their teatchers in real life, too. French president married his teacher once he became adult. But among adults, feelings are reciprocal. As a teacher, FL had feelings for LTG, but how is it possible she never cleared her feelings were of a caring teacher and nothing more? After ML's "physical teaching", how is it possible for LTG to relapse again with his obsession? 3) In my opinion, you've also rated too highly the music here. It's nice, no doubt, but the fast and comic pace the story took here and there, needed some Chinese folk hip hop I've heard in Yimou's Full River Red, not those repetitive (although nice) facsimile of Italian "musica leggera". The wuxia aspect of the drama was not followed by the rythm of the music proposed (indipendently of the song played). You've pointed out the sense of betrayal of the audience, after creating so much expectation: that's exactly how I've felt. I've felt the authors created such a good story for the only purpose to destroy it, completely. It's a shame! And yes, now, I doubt everything: only a blind person would say LYN is... ugly. The sexiest man on planet do not look like Adonis (btw. the real husband of the LSS is less handsome than LYN), but they all have "something", and if they are actors... the premise is they are able to act well. This rule applies to actresses, too. So, now I suspect this whole story of LYN supposed "ugliness" was artificially created for the promotion purposes.

Excellent review! Happy Holidays!

BRAVO!!! THANKS FOR YOUR PREVIOUS HARD WORK!!! I PRAY THAT YOU HAVE A BLESSED 2024!!!

Im aboit to watch this drama. Didnt know it has so much hate. And about male lead being not" idol looking" is the main reason i want to watch it. He looks like human finally normal asian handsome man. Not plastic surgery fake " pretty boy".

Okay, It baffles me how LY can not be handsome... 😐

雲之羽仍是我number one period drama of the year 2023 in spite of ending. But that’s for your own imagination to the good.

I dont get chinese standard of beauty🤷🏼‍♀️ liu yuning made me keep watching legend of anle. It was my first time knowing his existence and yet i cannot take away my eyes off him. I was actually disappointed in so many factors in legend of anle and him alone kept me til end. He has that charisma that makes me keep coming back to check him out. And then i saw him again in long ballad 😍. At first I thought he was younger version of jo in sung but then as I saw insung's younger photos, I could say I like liu yuning's face better than insung. Cant anyone just spread love not hate?❤

I hope you had an amazing Christmas Avenue X!

Really enjoyed your comments about this drama. I haven't watched it yet, but everything you say whets my interest in watching. You are making so many excellent useful points. Thank you.

ooh nice to know Yang Ying is on the same level for you as Lin Xi, That's high praise knowing how much you loved Lin Xi big time.

If actors had to be pretty all the time, well, you couldn't watch British tv! Haha, said as a British person.This drama did not grip my imagination but it was enjoyable to watch, I dropped the drama with so much frustration at the Li Tongguang arc, the strength of the show was in the ensemble cast for me, (see Nirvana in Fire, Ancient Detective,) hopefully other drama creators follow this lead.

I really dont understand china's beauty standards!!!! I mean you consider soft skin and gentle featured guyz good looking while actually liu yunning is handsome by every definition He is extremely tall, looks manly ( giving off the basic look that a girl can rely on him for safety and reassurance) that he is not someone who looks like that he can not handle his own weight... such a great face. How in the World you arent blind if you think that liu yunning is ugly. I have been swooning over him as early as the long ballad. If someone think's he is ugly i can keep him. He is totally my type. Can sing too !!!!!

Your analysis of this show was spot on! Especially about li tong guang’s character and the fallacies of the ending of this show. I couldn’t have put it in better terms. You’re well spoken and you have things well thought out. You’ve got a fan in me!

For me the man lead is handsome. I became fan of this actor. I would like more and more drama with him.

Thank you so much for sharing and speaking true comments. 🙏

Great points regarding social media. I'm thankful I'm not very active on social media. Thank you for saying these things out loud.

I loved this review!!! I agree with everything! I wish I could put my thoughts and feelings into words in such an orderly manner :)

A well done review. Well said. :-)

Thank-you!!!!! Beautifully said!

perfect timing, I just started it based on your review

Yes!!! It was a really interesting video, thanks!!!

Please, I never want to cry like that again !!! And I still love this drama .🎉

I loved this show and have come to terms with that terrible ending haha. Liu Yuning, Fang Yilun, and He Landou have a new fan in me!

Thank you for explaining the Asian entertainment culture to novices like me. It’s sad that there’s a fringe that want to crush anything that doesn’t align with what they want / deserve. Basically if it benefits someone else, it needs to be attacked. Thank you for being a light 💡 in the darkness!