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Endured watching for its in-between episodes that always save this drama from being dropped
Story: A common story about a battle of good and evil rooted in obsessive unrequited love among Taoists and spirits. It started when the millennium dragon, Tianyao in the human form, was betrayed by his bride, Suying, at their matrimonial ceremony by cutting off his body parts making him powerless but unsuccessful to retrieve his heart-protecting scale only to sustain her lover’s life. Using his last string of strength, Tianyao was able to save his protecting heart scale by throwing it out up in the air and unexpectedly fell on a baby girl, Yanhui, suffering from a weak heart. Possessing the heart-protecting scale both helps and endanger her life. When Tianyao finally met the grown-up baby girl, Yanhui, they embarked on the journey of recovering his lost body parts.The story clearly showed the power of determination, sacrifice, and a cluster of efforts to defeat immortal wickedness.
This drama could have been a great one if not for the following:
1. Too many flashbacks that add to the boredom
2. Emotional scenes that were invaluable to affect the viewer’s emotion
3. Poor characterization of Tianyao known to be powerful of all but ended incapable in the story, and
4. Pushing the story long with unnecessary complexities.
Acting/Cast: Neo Hou as Tianyao pretty much did well and suits the role with that face. It was gratifying alone watching him on screen. The FL who I barely knew was not bad at all. Their acting complements each other. I blamed some of their dialogues and how the story was played that the whole cast’s performance was not appreciated strongly as it should be.
On the other hand, the best thing I loved about this drama was I had the pleasure of feasting my eyes with colors. It catered to one of the best fantasy aesthetics. I specifically praise the wedding of Tianyao and Yanhui which was very regal with that white cape flowing wedding costumes and headdress. There were more stunning to see that would somehow encourage you to care watching this drama if you haven’t yet.
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Not Top-Tier, But Still Worth Watching!
I think this series really stands out with its emotional depth and strong character development. Tianyao’s repeated stabbings of Yanhui, while frustrating, are understandable given his tragic past, but I feel the story could’ve explored a different approach to convey his inner turmoil without making his actions feel unnecessarily harsh. Yanhui, on the other hand, is such a relatable character. At first, she’s selfish, but as the story progresses, her growth into a selfless person who sacrifices for others is really moving. Her development, especially in learning to understand Tianyao’s pain, makes her journey so compelling.The acting, particularly from the female lead, is a major highlight for me. She brings such authenticity to her role, and her emotional scenes—especially the ones where she’s crying—really draw you in. The chemistry between the leads and the strong performances from the whole cast make the story even more engaging.
While the series doesn’t have the flashy effects or high-budget cinematography you might find in some top-tier dramas, it has its own charm. The character-driven storytelling really makes it shine. The OST is also fantastic. It perfectly complements the emotional tone of the series, and I was impressed by how it enhanced the overall experience. This series is definitely worth watching, and I think it’s also worth rewatching to appreciate all the little details even more.
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One of the most epic beautiful and original xanxia and love story
pic and beautiful xanxia in every regardOne of the very best xanxia I have ever watched. An unusually entertaining, deep and engaging storyline, very different (in a good way) from the classic xanxia both in terms of plot and characters, good or bad , never one dull moment, or making you want to fast forward … no unnecessary secondary plot and characters…
well paced, great dialogs, lots of laugh to relieve darker moments in a very balanced and smart way,
The xanxia is served by a really good ost, beautiful REAL landscapes on top of the usual special effects and studio CGI fake sceneries (what breathtaking mountains and river views) in the second half)…
and what a cast…
their love story and the way it develops makes perfect sense, and is both extremely charming and endearing… you root for them.
What is also awesome is the amazing relationship between the main couple, their unwavering live for each other and the fact that their is no lengthy misunderstanding or separation drama between them. We can enjoy their growing relationship during the majority of the episodes and it is very soothing in that regard.
Special mention to the FL actress serving an awesome character.
Epic. Doesn’t get the success it deserves
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La storia parte avvincente ma lungo il percorso si "perde", fa diverse variazioni, allungamenti, ma credo che fossero necessari in primis proprio per la trasformazione dei personaggi, in secundis altrimenti non saremmo mai arrivati a dove siamo nello stesso modo. Quindi, sì. Nonostante non mi abbia fatto impazzire il tutto, nel complesso penso sia stato il modo giusto di agire.
Passo, per passo mi sono sentita accompagnata per mano.
Io l'ho amato.
Avrei voluto di più.
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Zhou Ye/Yan Hui (FL) is the best part of the drama
**ending spoilers only towards the end of review**For some reason, I thought the production value of “Back From The Brink” would be higher or similar to that of “Starry Love”. Because of this expectation, I was a little disappointed and distracted from a few things that prevented me from fully immersing myself into the story and enjoying it. This is not a bad drama at all, but an average one instead of a good one.
Acting -
The best part about this drama is our female lead, Yan Hui (played by Zhou Ye). I’ve only seen Zhou Ye in one other drama, the very popular “Word of Honor” where she made quite an impression on a lot of people. I am glad to see her taking the lead in this, as her acting is the best of the bunch, even more than some of the veterans. Yan Hui is a very likable character to play. She is fun, intelligent, has a good head on her shoulders and won’t take crap from others. She might have started off as someone young and inexperienced, but she was in no way naive or a damsel in distress. It has been a great watch to follow her journey of growth to become a mature, independent, courageous warrior. It’s not hard to find another story about a female lead’s growth, but it’s hard to find one like Yan Hui who is not naive and innocent or acts like a child to begin with. I enjoy her character development and growth much more than our Dragon King Tian Yao.
The only other actor I would shower praise on the acting is Yang Rong, playing the character of Su Ying. Yang Rong is a veteran actress and I’ve seen her in other roles (“Marvelous Women” and “Song of Youth”). I enjoyed her portrayal of the love-obsessed Su Ying. I just wish her character is not such a stereotypical second female lead - one who goes crazy because she’s obsessive in love. Nevertheless, Yang Rong is a talented and versatile actress.
However, the acting for the rest of the cast is just average. I was hoping Neo Hou would be better than a pretty face. I can’t say I enjoy his acting here. He is a little better than when he was in “A Girl Like Me” but nowhere close to the fun and young teenager in “When We Were Young”. He looks good though, even with long white hair. Riley Wang is fine but not excellent. His character, Bao Xiao Sheng, is a fun one to play but the hairstyle distracted me. The rest of the supporting cast is OK and no one really exceeds expectations. It also seems like aside from Neo Hou, Zhou Ye, Yang Rong, Riley Wang, and Chen Xin Yu, most of the supporting characters are not very well-known or are quite new to the industry.
Plot/Pacing -
The pacing for the first 20-25 episodes is great. A lot happens as viewers get to know the characters, learn about the backstory of the betrayal, and the challenges our main leads face. There are also many funny moments, some more subtle than others. I did have a great time laughing along. But then, the pacing slows down in the next 10 episodes, and doesn’t pick up until the last 5 episodes. The general plot itself is not difficult to understand and follows a similar pattern of other dramas of the same genre. I would not say everything is predictable or unpredictable, but I was pretty engaged in the first half of the drama. There are a few questionable plot holes here and there, but nothing major.
Romance -
Neo Hou and Zhou Ye have decent chemistry. I like that there’s no love at first sight, and the feelings really didn’t blossom until they started their journey together. And maybe that’s why, we’re not getting sizzling hot romantic energy from them. Of course, it would also be due to the actors inability to portray such love. Tian Yao and Yan Hui are quite similar when it comes to love. Their love is steady, honest and never wavers. They support and love each other unconditionally and it’s hard not to root for them in the end. I do have mixed feelings regarding the ending (will talk more later). Riley Wang/Bai Xiao Sheng has to be one of the best third wheel out there. He’s so likable that you can’t hate him, even if you are not a fan of love triangles. Romance is easy to watch, but it also lacks a certain “spark”.
Production Value -
As I said earlier, I am not impressed with a lot of the production quality in “Back From The Brink”. I am disappointed that none of the actors/actresses uses their own voice (not even in post production). The dubbing is off and horrible at times. You would hear the voices but the lips are not moving (and I am not talking about internal monologues). The visual effects and CGI are only average at best. The fight scenes are OK as well. At least the costume department does a decent job. Well, Zhou Ye and Neo Hou are good-looking, so they look good in anything they wear. I also like the OST and you can't go wrong with songs from Zhou Shen and Liu Yu Ning (I can't find the songs on Spotify though ? ). The sets and some of the props look fake and flimsy. If Tian Yao’s sword is not lit with the fire visual effect, you should see how fake it looks. Having said all that, I am someone who is bothered by these production qualities as they affect my viewing pleasure. If you are not like me, you might enjoy this drama a lot more than I do.
Ending Spoilers -
I know as C-drama fans we are frustrated with sad and ambiguous endings. However, “Back From The Brink” seems to want to please fans by force-feeding us a happy ending. After searching for many years, Tian Yao finally found Yan Hui. But I am not sure if Yan Hui still retains her memories. If she does, why didn’t she go looking for Tian Yao and her friends? If she lost her memories, isn’t a kiss in the end considered big time sexual harassment? OK, maybe I should shut down my brain and just enjoy a happy ending.
Overall, this is a decent watch. If you are a fan of the actors and actresses, then it’s worth a watch. If you are not and you are just looking for a good fantasy wuxia drama, I think there are better ones out there. Because I really like Zhou Ye and her character Yan Hui, I’m giving this drama no less than an 8.0 rating.
Completed: 6/30/2023 - Review #323
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what am i supposed to do now...
mild spoilers in the second bit of this review, ill put a warnings once it starts!generally i LOVED this drama. this drama was like my reintroduction back into cdramas since final season was over and lemme just say, this was the perfect destress! the story is nice and pleasing, it's heavy but not too heavy in which you feel empty after watching episodes.
i do have to say a few things regarding the show however. the cgi looks a little silly goofy some times but i get that their budget wasn't the greatest, but overall its still a pretty show! neo's acting has definitely gotten better comparing him to his other works, but sometimes he just has the same look for some scenes. not too big of an issue!
the biggest bone ive seem people pick at is how it's drastically different from the book, but i feel like it has it's own charm. obviously as a drama vers from an existing IP, it should hold up to it's original material but ignoring that it's a good show!
THE CHEMMMMMM the chem between zhou ye and neo is just crazy.... i need to see them in a new drama ASAP!!
MILD SPOILERS
as much as i loved bxs, in the second half of the show i just counldnt get myself to watch his scenes, especially when they had to do with the relationship thingy. they tried to force a love triangle but it just didn't work...
SPOILERS OVER
ending? happy, a little open, ending!
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A tale of trust and betrayal
This drama is all about Tianyao,the Millenium spirit dragon,who has faced betrayal at the time of his marriage and swears never to love again.But through Yanhui,he again dares to fall in love who in return vows to help him find his missing body parts.The plot was good.The way the sequences unfolded,the difficulties they overcame,how they found the body parts,unlocked the seal and ended the evil in this world was portrayed nicely.
Neo Hou and Zhou Ye did a good job in their roles.The friendship aspect was also good.
The costumes,sets,music,fights, supporting actors were all good.
This drama is sure entertaining and you will not regret watching it.
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A lovely combination of fairytale, romance and adventure
This is a very entertaining fairytale drama (xianxia in Chinese terminology). And the kids will love it with the mix-in of cartoon-like and half-animal characters.What I like about this drama?
- Story is interesting. Although it does not have that extraordinary surprise or twist, it does conceal a lot of mystery which are revealed as the drama progresses.
- The bad guys lose and the good guys win. This approach always work for me as it appeals to my strong sense of justice.
- Good looking cast. This is likely the most prominent drama that Neo Hou acted in since 'A Girl Like Me' which was hilarious. He is undoubtedly the best looking actor in this drama. Zhou Ye is very pretty too, she is outstanding when she is dressed as the dark aura master. Acting as a Taoist girl, she is more like the girl next door - a bit plain.
- CGI and special effects are very good. Costumes are good too although not too elaborate but befits the characters.
What I do not like about this drama?
- The selection of actors for the various roles are good except for Zhang Lan and Chen Yi. Kenny Kwan who acts the parts of these twins is very good looking and does the part well. In age, he is old enough for the character, but in looks he appears younger than his son and daughter. It looks a bit weird when his son addresses him as father. Perhaps the roles should be reshuffled. He is better acting Lu Mu Sheng who captures the heart of SuYing.
- The on-screen chemistry between Neo Hou and Zhou Ye as leads is good but not as endearing as between him and Guan Xiao Tong in 'A Girl Like Me'.
- The ending is not properly explained. How did the new dark aura master vanish and then resurrect?
I am deciding whether to give it a 8.5 which is what I would usually give to a drama of similar quality, but decide to give it a 9 instead for its overall production.
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Pretty Average Not Worth the binge (better if you just want side entertainment when cleaning lol)
I have a lot of things to say about this show. Let's get into it!!LOVE TRIANGLE + OTHER RELATIONSHIPS
< Tian Yao & Yan Hui & Bai Xiao Sheng >
I despise love triangles, I hate it so much, there's so many issues with love triangles which I won't get into, just wanted to point this out that I absolutely hate it. However, it wasn't as terrible in this show for the main leads + second lead. At first the relationship between Yun Hui and Bai Xiao Sheng was super funny, every time they had a scene together I laughed because they feel like they would share the same brain cell sometimes, and it was so funny when he was the matchmaker for Tian Yao and Yan Hui. So at first they felt like best friends so I was so relieved their wasn't going to be a love triangle when he appeared, oh dear I was wrong. After a little bit I kinda did ship them just a little, however that was only because I thought Bai Xiao Sheng wouldn't end up liking her and how there wouldn't be a love triangle and how I was wrong yah that, and then he did end up liking her so then I had to feel bad, only up until when they needed to "fake" their relationship to achieve the book. During that arc that was when I stopped shipping them, and realized they aren't really compatible with another, and I ended up thinking their relationship felt better as friends, because of how Tian Yao had been the type of person to pay attention to Yan Hui to know her more, while Bai Xiao Sheng didn't kept attention to Yan Hui in that way, so then it felt more like a crush? Maybe even admiration, or just love without the romantic aspect. Anywho, so this love triangle wasn't as painful and it did make me support the main couple for sure. So his rejection, I don't feel at all bad, because I don't ship them anymore.
< Su Ying & Lu Mu Sheng & Yun Xi >
Now this love triangle here, so messy like what the actual heck is going on? Su Ying is obsessed with a man she saw a few time like we only got like 3 different scenes locations of them together, and it makes no sense, there's no real history between them that explains her undying love for this man. 40 episodes, I was waiting to know how the heck did she fall in love with him THIS BADLY, why the heck did he forget about her, and married another women for 20 years? Like there's not enough information about this damn love triangle at all. We are just expected to know, this women loved this man because of these 3 scenes, and this man doesn't remember her, even though he worked his ahh off to learn how to fight alongside her allegedly because he get no scenes about this just words, but despite his achievement for the women he said he loves, he suddenly was married with another women that we don't even know how they met, and how he forgot about Su Ying, nothing about what the heck happened during those 20 years. It really irks me because I really wanted to know what is their deep level of relationship that makes her this obsessed to keep him alive no matter what, how in the world did he end up with Yun Xi, like what the heck is going on I need more context. I really pitied Su Ying's sister, Ling Fei. She was already wrongfully taught by her community, and then misguided by her delusional elder sister, so yah it's understandable she ended up with so much hatred. (Thought I don't support her she was really irritating in the show.)
< Tian Yao & Su Ying >
How the heck did Su Ying seduce Tian Yao? Like I swear there is not enough context for big relationships like these that takes up so much of the story and character trauma, like no context what so ever. How did he make him fall in love with her, how long did it even take, like I can just image her not even smiling at all around him, so did he like that? Was she so mysterious he wanted to MARRY HER? Like history man, I need the history between them too.
STORY + LEADS
The story was honestly kind boring. It was surprisingly a tad bit more enjoyable when I watched it on 1.25x speed on Youtube lmfao. The FL wasn't too irritating however her character is also pretty boring, even though she was kind of over powered I did slightly enjoyed her not being weak, and being able to save the ML (which is almost all the freaking time so girl power!) The leads only kiss about I wanna say 2 or 3 times so this show is very PG13. The leads aren't bad, like I mentioned in the 'Love Triangle' section, they are written to be pretty compatible, and with Bai Xiao Sheng being the second lead, it made me not ship them with anyone else. My only complaint is that their relationship isn't that memorable. What I mean by this is that, they are plain and boring so the entire 40 episodes, and when they had the flashbacks, I didn't care for it because those weren't very memorable main lead experiences for me to sob over for. The acting wasn't so bad, though the actor for Tian Yao made the same "concerning" expression over and over again made me kind of hope he give me other expressions. His baby egg hatched era was just not for me either.
DEATHS IMPACT LEVEL (in summary / horrible)
1. Yan Hui's Master = Zero Impact
Again, I'm a big softie towards elders dying in shows, however his death wasn't impactful for me. It's because the relationship between the Master and Yan Hui is way too weak for me to care about what they had, and the time they had together. The flashback was just a waste of scene time.
2. Yan Hui = No Impact Either
I couldn't emotionally attach myself to this character (or any character in the show honestly)
3. Fu Yin
His downfall/defeat felt so rushed or not as impactful as it was escalated to be.
4. Zhu Li's Father = What the heck was that death...
Bro... his death was the most disappointing of all like, I can't stand sacrifices like this. He might as well went with him what the actual heck.
5. Zhu Li's Mother = Eh
She was an extra character that was added onto the origins of the plot. I will say the actress for her is gorgeous
ANIMATION
The animation really through me off honestly lol. It felt so goofy and silly I just couldn't take anything seriously.
ENDING + OVERALL
The ending sucks. Well not suck, but was very underwhelming though I didn't expect much since the story was already pretty boring. This BIGGEST weakness of this show is the lack of developing the relationships, and the story, context, history. I don't want just a simple 2 minutes back story if it isn't impactful. There are short back stories from different shows that are so beautiful that I wished they were longer, for this show, these short backstory need to be longer to understand the characters as well as the story.
Hopefully I covered everything I needed to say in this review. :)
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It is watchable, but it could have been so much better.
I dropped this drama at episode 15 when the story took a turn for worse. The second male lead, whom I really thought was unique and different, morphed into the typical jealous second male lead. And then Tian Yao did something mind boggling that didn't make sense. Then the three of them wandered around this alternate dimension...It took me about a month to brave the drama again, but this time I skipped some episodes, started at episode 20.
And I binged in a few days. The story got decidedly more interesting and ironically it wasn't the main couple that pulled me back but the story of the King of Qinqui and his twin brother.
Wow, the actor played both roles amazingly.
What I like about this drama is that the bad guys have good reasons to be bad. I find myself sympathetic to their grievances and hope somehow that they can getter a better life in the next life or something.
Also, there were other couples in this drama whose romance I enjoyed. Some ended well, some tragically, and I felt for them.
That said, this drama is something that make me sigh in sadness. It would be soooo good. The two lead actors while not mindblowing ly great or have awesome chemistry, were good. But they were hobbled by the subpar script.
Full review including video: https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2023/09/27/back-from-the-brink-review/
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Only good at first
Didn't expect anything from idol drama like this, but I was pleasantly surprised. First 10 episodes were entertaining, storyline was interesting. I binge all 10 episodes in a day. But then I don't understand why, suddenly I feel something changed afterwards. Was the writer/director changed? Anyway, I completely lost interest after episode 17. What I like about this drama were the characters. They were all really complex people, appear tough and strong but with many emotional struggle inside, not just some simple black or white labeled. Unfortunately I feel that the actors didn't convey that well either. It could've been good, so disappointedEsta resenha foi útil para você?
BEAUTIFUL, FUNNY, FAST PACED, LOVED IT!
This has got to be one of the best drama's I've got to watch in 2023 and it was not even marketed! What a pleasant surprise when I stumbled on to it. I'm a big Neo Hou and Zhou Ye fan and the 2 of them were absolutely fabulous together! Great chemistry between the ML & FL!!! I loved them! CGI was so great and showed some really cute creatures (Baby Dragon!!). This drama had such a great pace, I never got bored and was even got disappointed when it had to end. But a very satisfied ending! I hope to see this pairing again and more work from this director. I highly recommend BACK FROM THE BRINK!Esta resenha foi útil para você?
