Unlike most of Xiao Zhan fans, Douluo Continent has never been my most anticipated dramas out of his. I went into this drama not knowing anything about the story nor the cast except Xiao Zhan himself and Xuan Yi from WJSN.

STORY:
The story is a regular fantasy tale about a hero who goes on a journey to self-discovery and meeting friends and foes along the way. I feel the drama was too short and I couldn't properly ever understand the lore in it. Seems like a lot of it was either edited out or just not included in the script. That is obvious as the source material seems to be a novel which might hold more answers to my questions. It was a decent story with a nice male protagonist but the script could have been better. The starting was nice, a strong middle and a dissatisfying end.

CHARACTERS:
Tang San was a cool guy but I felt like we never really saw the full potential of his powers or character. I should have enjoyed his character more but something felt flat till towards the end. But he was likable guy enough. My only complaint is Xiao Wu. She was cute in the beginning and I can handle cutesy Cdrama female leads but she remained too juvenile till the end. I would have liked to see more development from her. She was good at fighting and a loyal friend/sister to Tang San which I appreciated- they had a genuinely deep bond. My other favourites were the Master and the Headmaster. They were both quite nice but the Master was bit know-it-all at times.

ROMANCE:
I was never invested in it in spite of the small hints they kept dropping all along. For me, I liked Tang San- Xiao Wu more as siblings or just good friends. The romance territory was just unnecessary and I am glad it wasn't the main focus. The friendships were much more interesting. Not to mention - the ending kiss was just forgettable as heck.

ACTING:
Xiao Zhan is mighty himself- a very beautiful person and a good actor. At times I was in awe of his beauty, but a better hairstyle would have made more difference to his visuals. I feel his performance here lacked compared to The Untamed. Don't get me wrong- it was still very good but maybe just not the best role as he has already acted in a masterpiece in his career, which is hard to beat. Xuan Yi was fine and I was skeptical of her playing a dumb character because she is actually a funny and witty person in real life but she did quite decently in this drama. I feel like the story's development and plots didn't leave her with much to show. I've missed Calvin Chen and he is still likable as ever (them abs!). The rest of the cast was also fine and I didn't feel like there was any miscasting.

OST:
I like Xiao Zhan's songs. The OST is good.

OVERALL:
I've heard about most novel and anime fans hating it so maybe it isn't really a good adaptation. The story is incomplete, often times fun but more times draggy or confusing. In spite of that this is a decent drama on its own. The cast and the CGI really enhance the viewing experience of its otherwise low/cheap-looking sets and costumes. Looking at it now seems like something we'll probably never see Xiao Zhan again in because he's a top star now, but even here his passion for acting has always been evident.

I recommend to watch this drama if you're into fantasy and adventure. Other than that this drama doesn't offer much, but at least I don't regret watching it.