2021 has been a lean year for period/costume c-dramas. There are hardly any period/costume c-dramas worth mentioning other than a handful like The Long Ballad and Word of Honor. Even then, these two c-dramas did not exactly meet the lofty standard and suffered from various issues such as disjointed storylines and plots, dubious incorporation of anime into the series, dubbing issues, etc. That is why “Luoyang” is such a refreshing change in an otherwise dull year for period drama fans like myself.

Ultimately, “Luoyang” will always be compared to “The Longest Day in Chang’An” – a hit costume drama of 2019 by the same writer. Both are penned by Ma Boyong and have the same complexities, mystery and intricacies unique to Ma Boyong’s writing style. Both are set during Tang Dynasty’s period. Both are highly engaging, entertaining and visually appealing with numerous twists and turns of various plots and subplots. If you enjoy “The Longest Day in Chang’An”, I am absolutely sure “Luoyang” is your cup of tea and this 39-episode c-drama will captivate and keep you on the edge of your seat till the very end.

The drama opens up with our main lead, Gao Bingzhu played by the mercurial Huang Xuan, awakens from his sleep in a coffin store, which turns out to be his lodging. There is hardly any artificial light in this very first shot other than those sunlight permeating through the voids in the window. It sets the tone lighting wise for the rest of the series. You won’t get too much artificial lighting here to lighten up the scenes other than those from candles especially for indoor and night scenes. Lighting over-exposure is non-existent here. It keeps the atmosphere real, with shadows visible during some night or indoor shots. Then we are presented with the aerial shot of Luoyang City. The capital setting with throngs of inhabitants filling up every nook and corner of the street is simply spectacular and breath-taking. It looks real like what a vibrant capital should look like and not just a scene filmed at one of the sets at Hengdian World Studio. Those people on the street do not look like extras. Immediately you know that this series is a big-budget production and costs a bomb to produce. Money is no issue and the producer is only concerned with quality product. Everything looks real and expensive - from the costumes, props, studio setting, extras to ancient Luoyang, Unwelcome Well (Ghetto), the HQ of Intelligence Services, etc. The first few minutes convinced me to KIV Yang Mi’s “Pearl Eclipse” and Zhang Huiwen’s “Heart of Loyalty”.

No one particular actor hogs the screen time here, and that is a plus. The story-line does not revolve around any leads, but rather each lead has his/her own plots. Gao Bingzhu is hell-bent on revenge for his friends’ death. Baili Hongyi is trying to find his father killer. Wu Siyue is just doing her job as the Inner Guard to the Grand Empress. The story is a labyrinth with twists and turns where excitement, disappointment, sadness and mystery await you around every corner. The writing has always been the main weakness of most Chinese period dramas; but not here. “Luoyang” writing is good enough that you don’t have to turn off your brain to enjoy this masterpiece. The acting is great as well. Special mention to Huang Xuan as Gao Bingzhu because at times, his acting moved me the way no other costume/period c-dramas could. I remember watching Xie Ze’s previous effort as a director with “Jun JiuLing”and laughing my ass off when the ML (Jin Han) cried his heart out after finding out his beloved had met her untimely death. Gao Bingzhu does not have to cry in this drama, but his tormented expression is enough to relay the feeling of helplessness and anguish. The scenes where he got his revenge against the 16th Night, and when his best friend turned enemy met his untimely death were scenes that I could watch time and again. His strength as an actor reveals itself in these highly emotional and poignant scenes.

Special mention on Luoyang’s beautiful cinematography, props, costumes and great fighting and chasing scenes. The camera angles are exquisite. There are times when I wonder how those cameramen manage to capture the shots of fighting and chasing scene through the Ghetto. The wireworks and stunts come out beautifully. The chasing scenes must have used professional parkour athletes because I don’t believe wireworks and post-production tricks alone could have achieved those effects.

Lighting is another aspect which “Luoyang” excels in. There is no over exposure from artificial lighting on most of the scenes. Night time and indoor scenes have the right amount of light - presumably from tons of candles - which produces shadows, realistic ambience and contrast. Low key lighting in this costume drama was in stark contrast to the last directed costume cdrama by the same director, Xie Ze (Jun JiuLing), where lighting overexposure was prevalent and became a negative point of “Jun JiuLing”. On the other hand, lighting seems to be the strong point of Xie Ze’s “Luoyang” with the night scene in the imperial City of Luoyang particularly impressive and eye-catching.

November/December 2021 is a great time for period c-drama fans because of “Pearl Eclipse”, “Luoyang” and the recently premiered “Sword Snow Stride”. The best period drama of 2021, and one of the best EVER without any doubt.
Story - 10.0/10
Acting - 8.0/10
Music - 9.0/10
Rewatch value - 10.0/10
Overall - 10.0/10