A História dos Místicos (2024)

visually gorgeous, but still missing something

Opening this review by saying that I love this director's works and My Journey To You is, to this day, one of my favourite c-dramas ever, so, needless to say, I waited for SO long for this show to finally air. My high expectations basically hit the sky.
The aesthetic, sceneries and cinematography of Fangs of Fortune don't come as a surprise: they are simply gorgeous and I really can't think of other dramas (during this or in the previous years) that are equal to it (except, of course, for this director's other works).
He always has a clear and fixed idea of how things should be shot and how they should look and, so far, it's always been consistent. Just one look at one scene and the viewers can immediately tell it's one of his works.
That's what hooked me with MJTY and I was just all too happy seeing it in this drama as well. C-dramas often tend to have “issues” with the cinematography, the lightning and colouring, the camera work (let alone the CGI), so when it comes to this area, Fangs of Fortune is already a level above the others and it looks so good and professional and eerie in the best possible way.
I admit, the ghostly white powder on the actors' faces always kind of takes me aback, because it's very VERY pale and in certain shots they either look like corpses or, thanks to skin smoothing as well, you can't really see their full expressions, but in this case it fits the tone of the drama and I think a different make-up would look weird and too much in contrast with the dark aesthetic.
Wigs and costumes are of very high quality and the texture, the details (ex. the fish scales in the fish demon's robes) the colours, EVERYTHING, really set them apart and a lot above others costume dramas... costumes.
Every character has its own styling and the outfits and hairstyles really help with making them all the more unique and alive. The stylist department really deserves all the appreciation and an award for their work.
If not for the plot and the characters themselves, I'd recommend this drama just for how good it looks.
(Little parenthesis for the soundtrack: it really works. I read comments where people were not happy with it, back when the show still had to air, but so far so good. Especially the modern song they use during fight scenes. Unexpectedly, it fits with the vibe and choreography of those sequences and it brings them out even more. When I think of the OST, that's the very first song that comes to mind, so it really left a good impression on me).
Now.
Onto the things that still don't sit quite right with me and the reason I scored this one a 7.5 (for now, will most likely change it as I watch more episodes – hopefully).
First of all, especially in the first couple of episodes, the scenes are way too jumpy and “messy”, so much so that I had to replay a couple of parts because I couldn't really understand certain things and the show just lost me. Was it a dream? A memory/flashback? The way it's edited and quickly jumps from A to B back to A is very confusing. They're not smooth cuts.
Granted, it got better in the last episode I watched (ep.5), so it's probably just a problem of the first part and it got fixed as it went on. Again, hopefully.
The second thing is the humour. Most of the times it actually gets a giggle out of me (the actors' comedic timing is always on point and their expressions alone are enough to make the joke work) and it's just in such contrast with the somber scene at play in that moment that it somehow works very well and I can only appreciate it. But some other times... they REALLY play into it, to the point that it feels kinda weird and out of place. Cringe, even. To make an example: the way the young boy, Bai Jiu, keeps screaming or fainting. After a while it gets repetitive, old, and his character doesn't feel real anymore. Hope he'll hit some character growth and won't shout as much. I really liked young master Xue's character in MJTY and, albeit so young, that actor really can play more serious roles.
Humour in this kind of dramas is a fine line to walk and I think, up to this moment, MJTY kept that balance a lot better.
Third thing, which is mainly what caused the 7.5, is something I cannot quite explain with words, but I can't help feeling whenever I'm watching this drama: a sense of emptiness. Of something missing, not being there.
It's really more of a personal feeling, but there are certain scenes where I really can't help but feel like I'm watching something empty, like something should be there, but isn't. Like I'm reading the draft of a book and some paragraphs are still missing or aren't finished yet. Where MJTY felt more organic and grounded, FoF is a lot more staged, a gorgeous cover wrapped around blank pages.
Sometimes it has to do with the scene in general, sometimes with the way it cuts from one shot to the other, the lack of music and overall sound or just the characters. I know they are interacting with each other, but it's as if there's this wall that divides them. One thing that really irks me is how often (especially the villains) they just... stand there and let the main leads finish their thing, whether it's talking among themselves or preparing for action.
It's still the very beginning, though, so it'll probably smooth out and feel more natural and complete with the episodes to come, but right now it all feels too disjointed, especially when the narration clearly slows down or stops altogether to focus on the appearance of the characters or the beauty of a certain shot.
(I know this criticism basically goes against my praises of the aesthetic and cinematography of this director's works, but I can't deny he can be VERY pretentious and all too often puts looks above substance).
I still don't have much to say about the characters themselves, because we still don't know them much yet, but some impressed me more than others and for others I hope they'll grow and get better with time.
I'm very curious about Zhuo Yichen, although Tian Jiarui's performance so far is a little... lukewarm, when compared with the work he did on Gong Yuanzhi in MJTY. I like how Yichen can be both fierce and shy/awkward, but he didn't give much aside for that (so far). I know he's a more than capable actor, so I'm sure the character will grow on me, but right now... not there yet. It probably also depends on the way the make-up and hairstyle always make his expression look very tight, as if he can't move his face much - or just got a face lift. But, aside from that, I'm curious to find out who he really is. I have this headcanon where he is, in fact, a demon, given his blue eyes and his whispery voice (I noticed only demons have it, which is a nice touch and detail) and the constant nightmare of becoming one. I want to see whether I'm right or wrong.
I was pleasantly surprised with two performances so far: Neo Hou and Chen Duling.
I always found Neo Hou's acting to be quite stiff and struggled a lot not to see the actor beneath the character, so I am impressed in the best of ways with this role. He is shining and brings Zhu Yan to life. And although at times the character himself isn't very consistent with the way he acts and reacts, he really works for me and got me hooked from the very beginning. Hope we'll get to see more of his layers, like his darker and more serious and dangerous side, but also his sensible and “sad” personality, because he really wishes to die and I really want to 1) know why and 2) see HOW the actor will showcase this part of the character.
For Chen Duling, I've only seen her in two other works, where she played either a minor role or a supporting role, but in both cases she was nothing but a woman who fell into sadness and depression because of her lost lover, so I was a bit worried about Wen Xiao. But I really love her so far and she's really growing on me. Right now I can easily say she's my favourite among the main roles.
Last but not least, I hope we'll get some proper world building this time around. This director's works always tend to lack a lot on this department and so far the world of FoF hasn't been fleshed out that much. Granted, I'm only at episode five as I'm writing this review, but I was really confused at the wheres and how much time it takes to move from place x to place y.
I wish they gave us an impression of space and moving spaces like, for example, Mysterious Lotus Casebook did. Its world building isn't much richer and extended, but it has some substance at least and the characters won't just appear back at a certain place (ex. the archives of the bureau) as if through sci-fi teleportation.

I think that's all for now. Might come back to this once the drama is complete.

- Mei

Leia Mais

Beautiful Demons and Mortals Battle with Themselves and the World in this Mystical Drama

So this was mostly about a bunch of beautiful people, mainly the male characters, walking around looking beautiful , often huskily whispering their dialogue, with some modern C-Rock/Pop scoring over the impressive CGI….we’ll sort of. Lol. There is a story of adventure, self discovery , along with a mission to gain the means to stop the ultimate evil. We quickly learn who the villains are in this. After which each episode repeats the same story with Li Lun (a demon) in partnership with Chong Wu’s leader, having convinced some poor demon to ally with the former because they believe he’s going to help them get something they want. The only differences is the demon and the setting in which the conflict takes place. This was interesting to start but began to get stale after a few episodes. Thankfully, Li Lun’s villainy changed up halfway through the series.

The characters spend a LOT of time standing around calmly talking in intense situations where things should be moving quickly. Moreover, if something goes terribly wrong there were a LOT of moments where the characters literally stood there for 10 minutes starring prettily at the horror unfolding before them, doing nothing. For this to be a show about sword wielding mortals who were fighting powerful demons, the pace was at times a bit too slow. Again, many scenes dragged focusing on one “epic” CGI moment for far too long before moving the story forward.

Despite my qualms, thus far, the series has been incredibly engaging. The leads have fantastic chemistry especially Zhu Yan ( Demon ML), Zhuo Yi (Mortal ML) and Wen Xiao (FL/Goddess). These three have had some great scenes all together and when it was just one with the other. I really enjoy Zhu Yan. He’s a demon, but he’s far from evil. He’s mischievous and compassionate with a hilarious sense of humor. Love him. The brotherly love between him and Zhuo Yi is palpable while his chemistry with Wen Xiao is incredibly easy, natural , with some lovely swoon moments thrown in.

The acting is not award winning and doesn’t need to be. However, it does work for this series. I will say though, the actress who plays Pei Ji (Cheng Xiao) is a horrible. Her delivery lacks emotion and almost stops short of being deadpan. SMH. The series still has a few more episodes before it finishes but considering what has been shown thus far I don’t believe it’ll end happily for our heroes. :( If the series continues to maintain the compelling aspects of the story/characters it will have been worth watching, and will be worth watching again.

Update: Finished this series. Overall this was more character driven than anything. Though the story was quite interesting too. I will say the last 7 episodes were so good, but emotionally draining. Heartbreaking storytelling. Thus, binging may not be the best approach. As expected the ending was extremely painful to watch, but the bonus episode revealed that all may not be lost. Great series. Most of it will be fun to rewatch save for the last few episodes which I think many will not want to experience again.

Leia Mais

Amazing & Emotional Journey : Beautiful but Tragic

When I first saw the poster, i thought, "Of course, the cinematography is gonna be great because has same director as MJTY." I really loves the cinematography, CGI, visual, and the tone was very aesthetically pleasing.

The storyline is solid overall, focus to relationship between main roles with very slowburn romance. Actors and actresses did a great job. The chemistry between the cast? No question, both on-screen and off-screen, it’s insane. I love bromance between ZhuYan-LiLun, Zhuo Yichen-BaiJiu-Yinglei. The visual is no joke! From the main leads to cameo, everyone’s visuals are on point. Makeup and costumes suit each character perfectly. The ending was kind of predictable, but still hits hard for me, especially Zhuyan and Bai Jiu and Ying Lei (my chaotic duo💔), so sad it had to be tragic. There’s so much value we can learn from this c-drama about love, hate, regret, accepting fate, and defying fate. Totally worth watching!

Leia Mais

Chemistry that Kills!

This is one of the best productions I've watched. I really appreciated the attention to detail, the fight scenes, and the emotional moments. The casting is strong; all the actors, from the protagonist to the antagonist, are well-rounded and talented. The plot is solid, though it could have been better with clearer sequencing. The main characters include demons, humans, gods, and tree spirits, each with their own unique stories. This series has great potential, and I would have loved for it to have 3-4 seasons to allow each character to take center stage. There’s so much to explore—from the demons, Bai Jue, and the half-god half-demon Ying Lei, to the siblings and the Baize goddess. I believe it could have been executed brilliantly if given more time.

Now, the downside: It seems like the author or director aimed at a mixed audience—both international and local. The BL elements are clearly gaining popularity after series like The Untamed and Word of Honor, but in this series, it feels like they were trying to force a BL into a Bromance storyline. The writer didn’t seem to fully commit to whether they wanted a straight or BL narrative, making the female lead feel like she was only there for the sake of passing censors. If the focus had shifted to a central Baize Goddess arc, it would have been much more interesting. Wenxiao's character, especially, felt underused. Given her identity as the Baize Goddess, there was so much potential to explore her story more deeply, but instead, it felt like she was just there to cry and be saved.

The antagonist, Li Lun, started off as a strong character, but ultimately, he didn’t have the impact I was hoping for. The build-up to him as the ultimate antagonist was anticlimactic. On the positive side, the music is fantastic—both the intro and outro are well-done.

Overall, the series is good, but it’s not for everyone. It’s slow-paced, and I honestly skipped a lot. In terms of chemistry, though, the actors all have great chemistry, whether it's in friendship, romance, bromance, or sibling dynamics.

Leia Mais

A devastatingly beautiful story of two soulmates that happened to be MLs

This story...either purposefully or accidently, ended up being a completely different story than it orignally appears to be. What I thought would be a supernatural romance turned out to be a heartbreaking supernatural bromance. Brotherhood. Soulmates. Whatever you call it, the two male leads' bond surpassed all others intended for this story.

But let's start with why the average rating...

If this was a visual arts competition, it would surely win first place. The visuals of this series are GORGEOUS. I don't think I have seen a single cringe visual effect. I thought I've seen gorgeous (Love Between Fairy and Devil) but this story took the crown by FAR.

The music in the series also really grew on me and I now have several OST in my playlist. It has some very powerful tracks for fighting scenes and also hauntingly beautiful BGM for sad scenes.

The cast was beautiful. Each character (and even each character's different counterpart) had a very specific and gorgeously styled outfit, hairdo and makeup. The costume team really outdid themselves here.

But as far as acting goes, I feel like more times than not, the aestethics helped them look a certain way rather than their own range of acting skills. Not saying their acting is lacking, but with how much artificial help they got to enchance a certain "mood" I can't properly distinguish between the effects and their acting skills.

For example, in what seems every episode, the characters would cry that one beautiful bead of crystal tear that rolls down their cheek in a close-up camera work. When done in moderation, that thing is beautiful, but when it's overdone (and in this story every character basically) it really starts to lose its impact. They looked gorgeous in their miserable state though...

Overall, from the cast Neo Hou, Tian Jia Rui, Yan An and (coming out as a surprise) Lester Lin were the best part. Their characters had the most impact, diversity and growth (in my personal opinion). It's very hard to judge Chen Du Ling's performance in this because there was something very lacking with her character that seemed too one-dimensional and a damsel in distress.

The plot....it's drowning in misery. The storyline, the idea of it, initially, was very good and rather compelling. There are demons, gods and humans. There are sacred artifacts and rules for their worlds. The visuals of the supernatural powers are vast and gorgeous, so at first glance the story seemed to have a lot of potential. But the execution of it was much to be desired... Starting from the beginning, the scenes were all over the place - people would cry, laugh, be comedic and serious all in a span of few minutes and it'd keep going. I couldn't tell what "mood" the story wanted to set. Somewhere mid-way the impending doom for one character or another seemed to be not only the main but the ONLY driving story point. Death and self-sacrifice, when used right, can be a powerful way of telling a story, but here it was passed around like a dodge ball, losing its intended impact.

The romance. Or lack of. Unfortunately til the end I found it hard to root for the main couple. It felt like we were TOLD that they love each other through certain plot aspects, but there was not much substance. Zhao Yuan Zhou (the ML)'s character is lonely and craves closeness, so if anything, the romance with FL feelt like a dream for normalicy rather than true bond. His other bonds (mostly brotherhood) run that much deeper. The ML had incredibly more chemistry with the SML, not to mention their storyline had SO MUCH MORE substance. It had growth, natural banter, warmth and heartbreak. THEIR STORY is the one that brought me to tears. Ultimately, they were the power couple of the series.

Part of me would have loved to see FL be a young kid that the two ML's unoficially adopted. I feel like her presence in the series wouldn't have changed much, and the ML's protectiveness would come out more naturally.

Overall, this story has aspects of it that are worth watching. The stunning visuals, music and the heartbreaking connection between the two MLs. But I would not recommend it for FL x ML romance. And not if you're not into a slow-paced melancholy mood storyline.

Leia Mais

One Word Spell: WATCH

This drama is no ordinary drama. Not one that you can just watch on the side. It's hard to put into words what the drama really is. So many times it just seems out of this world. Every scene is masterfully realised and the cinematography is breathtaking. Every frame emphasises the tone of the scene or creates a very special atmosphere. The drama takes the viewer on a journey, if they allow themselves to. We experience the joy of friendship, the deep bond between siblings, the pain of remorse and guilt, the anger of betrayal, the danger in passion, the heavy burden of loneliness, the faint spark of hope for a different and better future, the struggle against one's own nature and the overcoming of prejudice. We feel the sweet bitterness of love. Not only romantic love, but also the pure, untainted love between soul mates. And we have to endure the sad power of sacrifice.

Every character in this drama is complex and multi-layered and there is no real good or evil. Every character has their skeletons in the closet and that makes them tangible. For me, the drama plays a lot with the theme of what good or evil means. If the goal is good, if you do it for the greater good, does that really give you the right to use any means, even if they are cruel? It questions morality many times and makes you think. Each of the antagonists has understandable reasons for their actions and I often asked myself how I would have reacted if I had been in their shoes.

Everyone's acting performance was absolutely impressive. If you look at the performance of Lester Lin, who later played two such contrasting characters, Bai Jiu and Li Liun, at just 13 years old - wow. Just wow.
Everyone, really everyone, embodied their role so well that every emotion was not only visible but palpable. Something that not everyone manages to do.

I think it will take a few more days before I have digested the emotional ending, but in my heart I will never forget this drama. It will always have that special place.

Leia Mais

Unpopular opinion. I didn’t like anything except the visuals and Neo

Sadly, I was not bestowed the fortune to like this drama, even though I really wanted to. Warning: this is one of my rare non-positive review so if you love the drama maybe it’s best to skip this read. While this drama wasn’t my cup of tea, I mean no disrespect to those that loved it.

POSITIVE:
- Stunning visuals: the cinematography, costumes and overall aesthetics was a true living piece of art.
- Male lead: I loved his demon look, and the way his character was portrayed. Neo nailed the emotional scenes and his comedic timing was great.
- Cast chemistry: even though I wasn’t emotionally invested in the story, the chemistry between the actors was great, especially the two male leads.
- End credits: the most random and adorable dance scenes.

NEGATIVE:
- Vibes of “Tacky christmas aesthetics”: too loud and too much going on in every single scene. Everyone was crying all the time and I felt nothing. It looked to me like the director was hyper-focused on creating the most stunning music video, that he forgot he was supposed to be making a drama.

- Messy storytelling: heavy reliance on flashbacks after flashbacks, dream sequence after dream sequence, weird inserts of “beautiful visuals” in-between scenes that broke the flow of the story. Instead of adding depth, the storytelling actually felt cluttered and disjointed. The conversations were the biggest issue for me as they often abruptly shifted between serious tones, to sudden humours, to sudden emotional outbursts - all this in one scene! This made me feel like I was watching a parody.

- Non-stop OST: music was constantly playing in the background which pissed me off big time. At times, it seemed like the director didn’t trust the actors to land their jokes, so he relied on comedic background music to tell the audience when they were supposed to laugh.

- Meh characters: except Neo’s character, nobody else left an impression on me. The female lead was useless. The second male lead was too stoic (I prefer his badass MJTY character). The second female lead’s action scenes were cool and I enjoyed the sub-plot with her brother but overall her character felt flat. The cook was cute but that’s all. The kiddo annoyed me af. I would have liked him more if he were written as a mature young genius instead of a teen acting like a 5-year-old. His possessed scenes were cool, though.

OVERALL:
This drama had everything I usually enjoy, an intriguing fantasy setting, demons and a great cast but the execution just didn’t work for me. Except for Neo, none of the characters left any impact on me. In fact, I should have probably skipped this one because now it has become one of my worst watches.

Visuals: 10/10
Story: 2/10
Characters: 2/10
Enjoyment: 0/10

FYI, my thoughts are mostly based on ep 1-24 as after this I lost all patience and skipped tons in order to finish it. I did watch the final episode and special episode.

Leia Mais

Beautiful yet Pretentious; Great character development but poor plot writing

“Fangs of Fortune” is no doubt the product of director Edward Guo. I enjoyed his other drama “My Journey to Love” so much that I wish I could feel the same about “Fangs of Fortune”. Unfortunately, just having a good-looking cast and beautiful cinematography are not enough for me.


What I Like:

1. Characters
The main reason I am not rating this drama lower than 8.0 is because of the characters. I like each of them, main cast, supporting cast and guest roles. Each character’s story is unique and I had a good time getting to know them and following their journey of growth. They are interesting individually and together as a group. “Fangs of Fortune” is able to make me care about each of them and their stories touched me.

2. Acting
I am happy to see a much-improved Neo Hou. He is able to convey more than just a blank pretty face. I am most impressed by Tian Jia Rui. This is only his second drama after “My Journey to You” and he has so much potential. Chen Du Ling is fine. Cheng Xiao improved from her blank look in “Falling into Your Smile”. The rest of the cast also did an admirable job and I don’t really dislike anyone’s acting.

3. Cinematography
Edward Guo’s signature beautiful cinematography and camera angles make every actor and actress look good. Screenshots of this drama flooded the Feeds with many posts throughout the airing and after the completion of the drama. But…..(to be continued below)

4. OST
This drama boasts a huge soundtrack of beautiful songs. I enjoy them all, especially ‘Spring Breeze Does Not Ask’ 春风不问 and ‘Broken-Tailed Bird’《斷尾鳥》. However…. (to be continued below)

5. Production Value
I love everyone’s creative, unique and beautiful hairstyles, costumes and accessories. I also like the use of natural lighting and the realistic sets in the indoor scenes. The fight choreography is unique and the actors did a great job with their wire work and moves. It does a great job in using Chen Xiao’s dance background in giving her excellent moves and she did not disappoint.


What I have Mixed Feelings and Don’t Like:

1. Slowness
This drama is SLLOOOWW. The characters talk slowly, they move slowly and the pace is slow. This could have been a 30-episode drama (instead of 34) if people would just walk and talk at normal speed. The last episode is a waste of time. Everything could be told in 15 minutes. What pisses me off the most (my personal pet peeve) is characters standing around during important battle scenes. The good guys would be talking amongst themselves or crying or staring at each other, and the villains just stood there waiting. I just want to shout at my screen for them to move or do something! So much time is wasted and it doesn’t make sense!

2. Plot Holes
There are so many plot holes in this drama. Actions that don’t always make sense. Why parade a suspected murderer in front of a crowd to be easily recognized and then humiliated? If you knew you were the cause of a pandemic, why not kill yourself sooner? You already knew the solution! There are powerful demons and genius human beings yet you can’t detect someone is hiding around the corner eavesdropping? I thought you could smell their scent from a mile away! Plot logic becomes secondary (or sacrificed) when the drama focuses so much on the characters and making them look good. A good drama must be able to balance both plot and character development. Even if you can’t balance it well, it can’t be so lopsided.

3. Close-up/Camera angles
I complimented on how beautiful this drama is. But if you repeatedly show me a close-up look of a pair of attractive eyes every 5 minutes, it becomes really pretentious and fake. The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed but if you give me the slow-mo version of it, it interrupts the flow and the excitement. I don’t need to see them posing when fighting. This drama also loves the fog and wind machines.

4. Non-stop Music
I also complimented the OST, but gosh, the music is overplayed. Song after song, music after music. It doesn’t allow the viewer to decide how to feel in silence, but manipulates my feelings with the non-stop music. I counted one scene (one conversation between the leads) when 2 songs + 2 more instrumental music were played non-stop! At times, the music is so loud that I could barely hear what the actors are saying. I really don’t need the fight song being played at every single battle, no matter how cool it is.

5. Romance
Disappointing main romance. I enjoy the initial bickering between Zhao Yuan Zhou and Wen Xiao. A battle of wits and sarcasm! But then, not much happened and not enough chemistry or longing looks. It was boring. I had more fun watching the guest roles suffer in their forbidden love than or sad romance than the main leads.


OK, if you are a fan, don’t hate me. Go back and read what I like before throwing stones at me. LOL🤣 I will still recommend "Fangs of Fortune" because it’s a well-acted darker story with a good-looking cast, beautiful cinematography and likable characters. If you are a big fan of character development, you will enjoy this. But if you are like me and can’t stop your brain from noticing plot holes and things you don’t like, you might have a harder time enjoying this.


Completed: 11/27/2024 - Review #521

Leia Mais

Started with comedy ended with trauma!

One of the best drama in 2024 for me!
Actually I was little disappointed with the start of the drama....but after that everything turned top-notch

My favourite character is Zhou yichen played by Tian jiarui

Cinematography and CGI were literally so good.But few scenes literally looked so cheaper.
Actors:
•zhao yuanzhou/Zhu yun (Ying long)played by Hou minghao - I know he is good actor and he really acted very well.And his makeup and aesthetics in yinglong character are chef kiss.

•wen xiao played by chen duling - she literally done a good job as wen xiao and successful pissed me...at first I thought she is good in this role but I am worng yarr i know she is mortal but she is also a goddess right, like always calling others pitfully while they were literally dieing...i felt what the?not only once but so many times !
I know so many of the viewer like her on this role....but it's my opinion

•Zhuo yichen played by Tian jiarui - To be honest he is the reason for me to watch this drama and I am impressed too...yes I missed his sassy side but the righteous side of the role really good.He is just too good in this role!

•Li lun played by Yan 'an- He is also one of the reason for me to watch it....he is a idol from the Korean band Pentagon.Omg he muscles,his body (I am shameless)his smile...in single word i am obsessed and he really done good job as toxic ex....and his death...that was so tragic!

•Bai jiu Played by Lester lin -This 13 year old guy....done a excellent job...i never thought that I will be crushing on a 13 year old boy.
I missing his screamings, smile cute talk and his Zhuo ge why the writers choose such a cruel death scene for him...and him as possessed li lun is everything his makeup as li lun is just unexplainable

•Ying lei played by xu zhenxuan- His character something we can't forget especially his smile.

As for guest roles and their stories:

First: Ran yi and miss qi story yes story was ineed sad and her father was sadist.

Second:cheng Huang and Shen nv their was indeed tragic and their acting also good...but I am who doesn't felt any thing about their story!

Third: Fei and Qing geng their story is very very tragic and I was so affected by fei's death I cried like helland Aimi she is such a good actress I want see her a main leads future....

My favourite ost: return from long dream, broken tailed bird, unintentional dream and yuanzhou's youth.

My favourite scenes:
•Bickerings of yichen and zhuyun
•Almond cheese scene
•The conversations between pei siblings
•Sword dance
•Ying long and bingyi story

My most traumatic scenes:
•Fei 's death
•Ao yin 's death
•Ying lei's death
•Bai jiu(my most traumatic scene I can't forget)
•li lun's death
•And Zhu yun's death

Yes this one had plot holes...but still it's my favourite ❤️

That's all thank you for reading ❤️

Leia Mais

Come For The Aesthetics, Stay For The Found Family Dynamics

After an up-and-down drama year, this was finally it: the drama obsession that I've been waiting for in 2024.

I was completely hooked from the very moment the great demon Zhu Yan entered the Demon Hunting Bureau and asked its greatest hunter, Zhuo Yichen, whose family Zhu Yan massacred 8 years prior, to kill him. In exchange the demon offers his help with solving demon related crimes, and Zhuo Yichen, who has been waiting for years to get his revenge, agrees to these conditions – which is where the tragedy begins.
Because Zhu Yan isn't the cruel and fearsome demon Zhuo Yichen expected him to be at all, and while they travel together and collect a merry little family of misfits around them, the great demon's endless kindness and compassion is slowly chipping away at the demon hunter's resolve and makes him question both his personal feelings towards Zhu Yan and his moral code ...

I've watched several of Guo Jingming's works before, so I already had an idea of what to expect in this one. There was a very clear aesthetic vision for how this drama should look like, and I'm not just talking about the gorgeous costumes, but also the spectacular CGI and the breathtaking sets that make every single shot look like a painting.
The soundtrack is an absolute masterpiece as well and enhances the mood considerably; I swear I can't name a single song from it that I didn't love.

When it comes to the plot, this drama is very much character-driven. If you're looking for complex political intrigue and jianghu conspiracy stories, then this is probably not the drama for you. The plot of FANGS OF FORTUNE is driven by the characters' hopes, desires and grievances and spends at least 80% of the time exploring the complex relationships between the main characters.

And it's those relationships that are this drama's greatest strength.
At the core there are the upright and incorruptable Zhuo Yichen (played brilliantly by Tian Jiarui), his childhood friend, fellow demon huntress and work-in-progress goddess Wen Xiao (played by Chen Duling with much spirit and sass) and Zhu Yan, an old and powerful great demon with a serious death wish (probably Hou Minghao's best performance to date). The plot revolves primarily around those three and their vaguely polyamorous relationship.
They are later joined by the teenage medical genius Bai Jiu, the composed archer and former rival demon huntress Pei Sijing and the foodie godling Ying Lei, as well as Zhu Yan's ex best friend slash boyfriend Li Lun.

And as I've said somewhere in the comment section before, I'll say again here:
I have NEVER seen the whole 'found/chosen family' trope this well executed in a Chinese drama before. This is not just a story about pursuing a common goal only. This is a drama about deep friendship, about overcoming prejudices, finding the good in each other and building trust, about forgiving and making amends. It's about intense emotional and physical closeness between people who are not related by blood, and about love, both platonic and romantic and every single shade in between.
And it has been quite some time since I've felt so much joy following the adventures of such a mixed group of fictional people.

Speaking of the characters:
The quality of the acting of everyone involved was absolutely top-notch. Every single actor/actress delivered a memorable performance, even if they appeared for only 3 episodes at most.
The biggest surprise for me in this was Hou Minghao, though. I've seen several of his dramas by now, but none of his roles have left the same deep impression on me as the world-weary great demon Zhu Yan. I could just FEEL how tired he was, how lonely and sad. Fate has treated him unkindly and my heart was breaking for him more times than I can count.
The same goes for Tian Jiarui's portrayal of Zhuo Yichen, whose inner moral conflict over the course of this drama was mirroring that of Zhu Yan beautifully. Their incredible chemistry was what got me invested in the story in the first place.

But this drama also has a few issues that I just can't ignore.
The drama lost its plot several times along the way because it was focussing too much on the main characters' personal and self-made problems and then took its sweet time to get back to the initial action. I also hated that one specific narration technique that Guo Jingming just loves to use far too often: showing an event/situation from one perspective and then showing it again later, telling us that 'actually, THIS is what happened instead in that scene' by adding small details that were not obvious the first time around. This can lead to some shocking plot twists when used sparingly, but it just feels like lazy writing when it happens too often. The amount of twists caused by this in some episodes almost gave me whiplash.

Other than that I was completely happy to submerge myself in this fascinating world every evening for the past three weeks, though. This drama will stay with me for a long, long time and I can't wait to rewatch it and appreciate its ethereal beauty and the love between its protagonists once again in the coming days.

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Never have I ever seen deeper care among friends on screen!

Throughout a consequent and touching drama. There were a few things I've never seen in c-dramas until now. That is emotional comfort in a physical way. Yes, parents or grandparents sometimes comfort their children by hugging, but I haven't that much among friends. Wen Xiao (FL) and Officer Pei (second FL) shared really intimate monents, holding eachothers hands or cuddling, just as you would do irl with your friends too. I loved the children, like Bai Jiu and Ying Lei are so adorable, I cant bear it. I also love that Officer Zhou has more than a rival relationship with Zhao Yuanzhou, these two plus Wen Xiao have such a funny dynamic, like everyone's flirting with everyone? (Pretty sure some of the interactions were ad-lib) Another thing I loved, is the fact that Officer Pei never felt in love with anyone, but she did have her own people to care about and felt like a rightfully done empowered woman, making her emphathetic and strong.
(Only downside I have is that they cried a record amount of tears, but even though that makes it a bit draining to bingewatch, but it certainly makes us feel that their life and emotions are real for them)
I think the acting that stood out for me the most is Bai Jiu's, his actor is now only 13 years old, but he played all these emotions and different sides to his character very well (+an obsession arc).
Oh and I love Yinglei's character as well, his humour and playfullness and his love for Bai Jiu.
I really enjoyed that there were no misunderstandings, no solo-mission like trust me bro, but they always tried to solve it all within a group.
Actually in the end I have come to terms with the not so strong FL, because even though she has a lot of spiritual power, she is described as a person of weak physique. Although physical power isnt her strongest point, but she knows a lot about demons, does it help her to protect? No. It helps her to be more forgiving and open-minded, it'd be overpowering to put all the virtues into her. And like this their group of six still has four strong fighters. (I think I gonna agree that this drama reads as Danmei (BL) and Baihe (GL).)
Anyway go watch, but prepare some tissues.

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