I finished this months ago but was dragging my feet regarding the review because of other reasons. Yes, I actually watched while it was airing and then waited a little longer for the rest of the episodes to load because I didn’t want to purchase the express packs, lol. I was actually waiting for this, so it made sense I jumped on it when it started airing. How was it? It was a little rough start but I stuck around and it was worth it for me. Even if it had ended in a cliff hanger. According to the credits, it was listed as “Season 1” after the name, so it was somewhat expected that there would be a cliff hanger. Or at least, some unresolved things to hook us into the second season.
Main Cast:
- Dylan Wang (王鹤棣) as Xu Qi An (許七安) and Yang Ling (楊凌) . Once again, we revisited whether Dylan knew how to act or not. And I’m seriously tired. What I thought about it? Did he exaggerate at times? Yes, he did. But I thought that was the majority of the people in here. This wasn’t an attempt at justification for him. Because I didn’t know what the world everyone was talking about when I was trying to catch up with the episodes. The beginning was only a setup and his reaction was normal for someone who just got tossed into the strange world. What I saw was his family exaggerating and much more. I soon got used to them and then came some parts where he did exaggerate but I thought those were forgivable. Why? Dylan didn’t show those exaggerations until this one. I had watched the majority of his dramas by now and then circled back to review this one. Because the nature of the comedy in here, so he couldn’t be blamed 100%. What was he supposed to do? Not listen to the director and be dubbed as difficult? The majority of his serious scenes were convincing though and it had gone to another level, especially when he showed his righteousness during various scenes.
- As Xu Qi An. Courtesy name: Ning Yan (寧宴). He was framed and condemned to serve out his sentence in exile. Yet because Yang Ling entered his body, he managed to cleared his own name and made a name for himself. He later became part of the Dafeng Agency and earned a name for himself through various trials and tribulations. However, he was later erased from the world and had to live with that while he figured out what was going on.
- As Yang Ling. A sales agent. He initially studied and wanted to become a cop. Yet he had to abandon his dream and worked to support the family. After some business meeting with a potential client, he and his colleagues participated in a storytelling game where they could participate as different characters. Somehow, he was sucked into the ancient world and became someone else. His memories were still intact but along the way, he acquired memories of the original character and acted accordingly to keep himself safe. He learned a lot along the way and began to act in the names of justice, instead of just for the sake of survival.
- Tian Xi Wei (田曦薇) as Princess Lin An (臨安公主) and and Ke Ke (柯柯). Mixed feelings. I felt like I liked her acting more in Romance on the Farm for some reason. Because I think I once again have to blame the director on the exaggerated bits at times. But during her emotional scenes, she was more convincing.
- As Princess Lin An. I didn’t like her at first, if it was surprising. Considering how I defended her against those who lashed out at her because of her immaturity and comparing her to her sister, etc. The reason why I didn’t like her because she stole her sister’s identity and tricked Xu Qi An into doing stuff for her. Yes, I hated that–regardless of character or circumstances. I understood that she faced a lot of pressure with having a perfect sister (or so she thought) and how her mother kept goading her on. I just didn’t like it that she tricked and conned others for her own means. Her story with her best friend was touching and I felt that was the growth storyline she needed.
- As Ke Ke. She was Yang Ling’s ex-girlfriend who left to study overseas. He hadn’t seen her since, so the images of afterward in the episode where he had to face the mind battle, it suggested that their breakup was one of his most regretful moments in life.
- Liu Yi Jun (刘奕君) as Wei Yuan (魏淵) aka Lord Wei (魏公). The leader of the Guardians and Dafeng’s most talented strategist. He used to be one of the most powerful fighters yet had retrieve to take on a much calmer and scholarly role. It was hard to believe that he once fought the most powerful enemies. But that was a different time and he was willing sit behind a desk and become the advisor at times. He was a mixed bag for me because due to other plot details, I couldn’t figure him out yet. But that was just me being suspicious with everyone after so much had happened. Did he have Xu Qi An’s back when it mattered? Yes, even if not in the most obvious ways. Did he care for the citizens or found it disturbing that other parties were causing problems? Yes. But there was something else there holding him back. Or perhaps, he wanted to play the long game and not act out of rashness like some characters in here.
- Kevin Yan (晏紫东) as Xu Xin Nian (許新年). Courtesy name: Ci Jiu (辭舊). Xu Qi An’s cousin, a student at the Yunlu Academy. He was a scholar and somewhat naive guy. Yes, he could become cunning but it was only seen at times with his family. When people were criticizing Dylan’s exaggerations, I hope they were looking toward this guy too. Yes, I had to go there. I did like his character eventually but I felt his exaggerations were way beyond, even more than Dylan’s exaggerations (which only happened sometimes but was heavily criticized for). His overly-dramatic moments and tantrums were part of his character. But at times, it puzzled me to no end. So, yeah, I had to bring it up.
Supporting:
The Guardians (打更人):
- Fan Shuai Qi (范帅琦) as Nan Gong Qian Rou (南宮倩柔). Gold Gong Guardian, fourth-ranked fighter. Lord Wei’s god-daughter, ranked twelfth. She was seen as a serious person of the time but could joke at others–if they were close enough to her. However, she took her job serious and was proud of it.
- Fan Shi Qi (范世錡) as Yang Yan (楊硯). Gold Gong Guardian, fourth-ranked fighter. Lord Wei’s god-son, Xu Qi An’s supervisor. He was a little more laid-back and seemed not to care much about stuff. But when things mattered, he was there.
- Fu Lei (付磊) as Jiang Lu Zhong (姜律中). Gold Gong Guardian, fourth-ranked fighter.
- Yan Pei Lun (闫佩伦) as Song Ting Feng (宋廷风). A Bronze Gong Guardian of the Spring Breeze Hall.
- Wang Run Ze (王润泽) as Zhu Guang Xiao (朱廣孝). A Bronze Gong Guardian of the Spring Breeze Hall.
- Kang Kang (康亢) as Li Yu Chun (李玉春). Silver Gong Guardian of the Spring Breeze Hall, Xu Qi An’s supervisor, severely OCD. He was very righteous and loyal to his fellow guardians. He was honest and hated those who took shortcuts or abuse their powers. However, in some ways, he couldn’t change some things either so sometimes he didn’t meddle. Even if he did distance himself from a certain party. Xu Qi An stirred up that flame of injustice inside of him and reminded him why he wanted to join the agency in the first place. He was no longer afraid of speaking up for what was right. Another meaningful role and I felt he seriously had range. (Also, funny how he was in the majority of the series DiDi was in. Are they in the same agency?)
- Wang Gang (王岗) as Zhu Yang (朱陽). Gold Gong Guardian, fourth-ranked fighter. Unreasonable and cruel. After the incident of his son, he refused to accept the sentences of Lord Wei, so he transferred to the Ministry of War. He was very vengeful toward Xu Qi An, not admitting that his son was in the wrong. It made sense because he spoiled his son and turned the blind eye to his son’s crimes. Yup, always the whole thing with his son could do no wrong.
- Hei Ze (黑泽) as Zhu Cheng Zhe (朱成鑄). Silver Gong Guardian of the Spring Breeze Hall, Zhu Yang’s son. He was very jealous of Xu Qi An and provoked the latter on purpose. He was later found to be assaulting the family members of corrupted officials, so Xu Qi An interfered and stopped him. He was severely injured and stripped of his titles.
Dafeng’s Royalties (大奉皇室):
- Liu Jun (刘钧) as Emperor Yuan Jing (元景帝). He knew martial arts or at least had some skills. It was shown around time the worshipping ceremony rolled around. It was a bit refreshing in a sense because I haven’t seen any of emperors in recent productions having skills but just sat around while the rest worked their asses off to protect him, so yeah. There was some kind of secret he was keeping yet wasn’t revealed yet. Hopefully, they would reveal a little more in season 2.
- Zhang Wen (张雯) as Shang Guan Xi Xue (上官惜雪). The Empress, Huai Qing’s mother.
- Ding Ying (邓英) as Consort Chen (陳貴妃). Lin An and the crowned prince’s mother. I understood where she stood and she was somehow the product of her upbringing too. But I didn’t like how she goaded Lin An against Huai Qing like that, damaging their siblings relationship.
- Mao Xiao Hui (毛晓慧) as Princess Huai Qing (懷慶公主). Lin An’s older sister. I’ve never watched her before this but I was actually looking forward to the adaptation of The Return of the Condor Heroes where she portrayed Little Dragon Girl. Maybe after this, they might push forward to have it aired at long last? Seriously, it’s getting ridiculous and such a shame to put it on ice like that. She was composed and talented and knew all the proper ways of the palace, so she was automatically admired by many. The fact that she understood the overall picture and carried on in a cautious way made her a very appealing character. But she could be seen as scheming too if someone wanted to say anything else. Because at some points, I felt she could use others to make moves or test the waters. I don’t blame her or try to make anyone look better by doing so. Because she was like others who was trying to survive in the palace and how they were up against a strong, unknown enemy. I was just saying she could be capable of much more, so don’t think she’s innocent or naive because of how pure she looked at times.
- Li Yi Hong (刘一宏) as Crowned Prince (太子). Emperor Yuan Jing’s son, Lin An’s older brother, Huai Qing’s half-brother.
- Estelle Chen (陈意涵) as Princess Ping Yang (平陽郡主). Lin An’s best friend since childhood. She fell in love and eloped with her lover. However, she was murdered by someone she trusted.
- Du Chun (杜淳) as Prince Zhen Bei (鎮北王). Prince Huai (淮王), Emperor Yuan Jing’s younger brother, Dafeng’s God of War, General of Chuzhou, defending the border, a third-ranked fighter. With so much hype and build up surrounding his character, I felt it was a bit underwhelmed that his downfall was so fast. Well, they were entering the final battle at that point, so they couldn’t drag it out more. But it seemed too easy. Yet I guess it wasn’t easy after all. Because of the aftermath they had to deal with.
- Chen Xiao Yun (陈小纭) as Mo Nan Zhi (慕楠梔). Prince Zhen Bei’s wife, known as Dafeng’s most beautiful woman.
- Vicki Dong (董维嘉) as Consort Yu (譽王妃).
- Li Si Bo (李思博) as Yang You De (杨有德). Emperor Yuan Jing’s loyal eunuch.
- Li Hong Tao (李洪涛) as Wang Zhen Wen (王贞文).
- Wang Jian Xin (王建新) as Minister Sun (孙尚书).
- Guo Jun (郭军) as Duke Cao (曹国公). He was a despicable and often sucked up to the king, only watching out for his own interests, like most of the officials in here. But he took it up to another level by flipping the stories and framing others. He was later executed publicly by Xu Qi An.
Xu Family (許家):
- Yue Yang (岳旸) as Xu Ping Zhi (許平志). Xu Qi An’s uncle, Xu Xin Nian’s father, an seventh-ranked imperial guard. He was passionate about his duties–although his rank seemed low. But he continued to work hard to improve his skills. He also doted on his nephew because the latter no longer had any family.
- Ni Hong Jie (倪虹洁) as Li Ru (李茹). Xu Ping Zhi’s wife, Xu Xin Nian’s mother. I hated her at first and I felt the majority who watched felt the same. Yet the relations improved later and I felt I could forgive her for some stuff.
- Zhang Miao Yi (张淼怡) as Xu Ling Yue (許玲月). The older daughter of Xu Ping Zhi and Li Ru, Xu Qi An’s cousin, Xu Xin Nian’s younger sister. She was considered gentle and kind (for the most part). She loved to read and Xu Qi An often snuck books along because her mother disapproved some of the stuff she was reading.
- Guo Tong Xi (郭桐溪) as Xu Ling Yin (許玲音). Xu Ping Zhi and Li Ru’s youngest daughter, Xu Qi An’s cousin, Xu Xin Nian and Xu Ling Yue’s youngest sister. She was so cute and funny. It was said at one point that she had good appearance for the most part but wasn’t made to achieve big things and could only indulge in food. It was funny because she had no trouble turning down food, even from Lord Wei.
- Peter Ho (何潤東) as Xu Ping Feng (許平峰). Xu Ping Zhi’s older brother, Xu Qi An’s father. Leave it up to him to appear around the ending and make a big fuss about the whole thing. He sure throw out a lot of outrageous accusations but wonder if he had any proofs to back it up with. But we’ll have to wait and see if they’re going to do season 2.
Heavenly Emperor’s Club (天諦會):
- Wei Zi Xin (魏子昕) as Jin Lian (金蓮). Number 9, known to the others as the person who established the club. He was shown to be well-traveled and quite knowledgeable regarding stuff hence establishing the club and recruiting all those members with liked-minds. However, there were still so many questions surrounding him.
- Vanessa Wang (王伊瑤) as Li Miao Zhen (李妙真). Number 2, nicknamed Flying Sparrow Heroine (飛燕女俠). She was very righteous and could be so hot-headed. She also had the skills to back it up so that was a bonus for her missions. I thought this was my favorite role of hers among the ones I watched so far. Because she was so carefree and righteous and relatable. She was also convincing because some of the past roles regard some grace and charm and full of manners but this one was just straightforward, not caring about what others thought of her. Anyway, she was my second favorite character in here because of her badass skills and all.
- Edward Zhang (张晓晨) as Chu Yuan Zhen (楚元縝). Number 4. He was a very righteous person and could be hot-headed too. Funny how he was so much similar to Li Miao Zhen yet they couldn’t be friends because of the past grudge. Accidentally becoming sworn siblings was so funny. But I bet he was equally disappointed as Li Miao Zhen because they lost a chance to become friends just because.
- Ji Xiao Fei (姬晓飛) as Heng Yuan (恒远). Number 6, Buddhist sect’s eight-ranked fighter. He was helped by Xu Qi An at one point and became grateful to the latter hence trusting him regardless of situation.
The Bureau (司天監):
- Qiu Xin Zhi (邱心志) as Supervisor (監正). A first-ranked (天命師). He was a mysterious person and could see like 100 steps ahead or something. Yeah, I’m exaggerating but it seemed that way with his vast knowledge and on the verge of enlightenment. But basically, he was very calm and patience (for the most part). What plans he had for the future or know about was, of course, still a mystery. But it seemed like he had high hopes for Xu Qi An going forward.
- Liu Mei Han (刘美含) as Chu Cai Wei (褚採薇). The sixth disciple of the Supervisor, a sixth-ranked alchemist. She was probably my favorite character in here. Yes, because she was so funny and loved food. I almost thought she was related to Xu Ling Yin. Maybe they could do a spin-off on the pair of sworn sisters traveling the world to find all the food and experience the rich cultures together. (Kidding, obviously, but it would be funny.) She could be cunning at times but also funny. She was seen biting down on a bitter melon so casually at one point that it was hilarious. (Of course, off screen was another matter, but her scenes always made me laugh.)
- Yao Yi Qi (姚一奇) as Song Qing (宋卿). The fourth disciple of the Supervisor, a sixth-ranked alchemist, a talented alchemist of the century. He was so obsessed with all the experiments and different techniques that he was willing to cave to Xu Qi An’s many strange requests. It was hilarious.
- Lin Guan Lin (刘冠麟) as Yang Qian Huan (楊千幻). The third disciple of the Supervisor, a fourth-ranked battle expert. He liked to display his back toward others while talking to them because it showed his brilliance. He was very hilarious because he often came up with ways to become more known yet always got sabotaged by his master. He often objected but would ended up trapped time after time again. Perhaps, it was one of those rare times where the Supervisor lost his cool. Because this disciple was just too troublesome regarding some matters. He loved to recite the poem that Xu Qi An taught him before battles so it reflected his character and mysterious aura even more, which annoyed his juniors to no end yet they couldn’t really do anything about it. What was funny was I didn’t know who portrayed the character until I looked at the cast list. It fitted with some of his past roles but it was funny that he never got to show his face throughout.
Yunlu Academy (雲鹿書院):
- Hou Zhang Rong (侯长荣) as Zhao Shou (趙守). Headmaster of the Yunlu Academy, a Confucius scholar.
- Zhao Bin (赵滨) as Yang Gong (楊恭) aka Taoist Zi Yang (紫陽居士).
Others:
- Ding Xiao Ying (丁笑滢) as Wang Si Mo (王思慕). Xu Xin Nian’s lover. She was sure silly and goofy so it fitted with Xin Nian’s dramatic acts at times. At first, I thought she was more of a serious character because of how secretive the meeting codes were. Yet it was completely different. It was somewhat silly but somehow cute as well.
- Li Meng Ying (李梦颖) as Su Su (蘇蘇). Li Miao Zhen’s maid, expert in seduction skills.
- He Yi Man (何依蔓) as Xiao Gang (小剛). Lin An’s loyal maid.
- Wang Ge (王戈) as Constable Wang (王捕头). Xu Qi An’s colleague when he worked at yamen as a regular guard.
- Zhang Chen Xiao (张宸逍) as Zhou Li (周立). Minister Zhou’s son. He harassed and attempted to abduct Xu Ling Yue but was stopped by Xu Qi An, and was later sent to exile. It turned out, he acted under the command of the mysterious black-robed person in an attempt to lure Xu Qi An out of Dafeng.
- Jiang Zhen Yu (姜贞羽) as Fu Xiang (浮香). A renowned beautiful and talented courtesan.
- Song Han Yu (宋涵宇) as Heng Hui (恆慧). Heng Yuan’s junior, Princess Ping Yang’s lover. He died a tragic death.
- Zhang Jing Tong (张净桐) as Yang Ling’s mother (杨凌母).
- Feng Hui (冯晖) as Zheng Xing Huai (鄭興懷). Chuzhou’s envoy. The tragedy that happened to his family and the citizens he ruled under was a whole new level of tragedy that sparked Xu Qi An’s rage to a new height. So, it was a matter of time before all things broke loose.
- Zhao Ke (赵柯) as Mrs. Zheng (郑夫人). Zhen Xing Huai’s wife. She was killed when Prince Zhen Bei’s men raided the city and wanted to get rid of all those who opposed him, plus the witnesses.
- Yang Yi Wei (杨一威) as Chen Han Guang (陈汉光).
- Wang Zi Fei (王子菲) as Cai Er (采儿).
Discussions:
- Novel vs. Adaptation. I will have to come back to this when I’m done reading because it’s really long. I started it and then abandoned it to focus on the show. But what I heard so far was he had many wives, and the writers needed to pick one to be his leading lady. Some people disagreed but I felt Lin An fitted him perfectly. Because they were the same type of people, not taking things seriously at times but were still willing to learn and grow.
- Dylan’s acting. Yes, I needed to revisit because the above wasn’t enough. Because it had gone on a tangent in his section. At times, when he was acting serious, he reminded me so much of Wallace Huo (and I’m a huge fan of Wallace Huo so I know what I’m talking about, people). His eyes and his expressions at times got me thinking of Wallace. But when he switched to his comedic mode, he reminded me of Dicky Cheung in here (and I have watched the majority of Dicky series). I had to say in here because when he winked or exaggerated those scenes, he reminded me of Dicky. Not trying to drag Dicky in here to make the situation better. But I think people forget or have never witnessed the scenes where Dicky exaggerated or something. Because sometimes I quit Dicky series (Mr. Winner, I completely quit that one because I couldn’t take the plot anymore and it became repetitive with his acting) because of those things. So, you know what? Maybe people should stop giving Dylan advice already. He was doing fine before and people just made it worse with their advice so now he’s exaggerating.
- Princess Lin An vs. Princess Huai Qing. I didn’t know what to make of them at first. I only knew that I didn’t like another rivalry between siblings. This time, it was mostly because Lin An’s mother goaded her on. But I felt it was ridiculous to compare the two like that. I also felt it was unfair to say one or the other deserved Xu Qi An more. Because they were different characters and different strengths and weaknesses. If they were allowed to interact and get to know each other, they would have gotten along well. Huai Qing already cared so much for Lin An yet there was always a distance because of other factors. In fact, if they tried, they could become allies. That one scene that she approached her sister and said she was scared (for Xu Qi An’s sake) and confided to her briefly, it was something. Yes, it was because of someone else but it was a start for them. I will say that neither one of them had strong chemistry with Dylan. Yes, I said it. I didn’t want to care. But if looked at carefully, neither one of them had chemistry with him. That was probably one of the reasons why the drama didn’t focus on romance as strongly or it would tank even more. They looked good with their past co-stars, but not him, which was strange. Because the majority of Dylan’s co-stars had chemistry with him regardless whether fans like them or not. I actually liked Tian Xi Wei more with Joseph Zeng. But that was a different matter.
- Qiu Xin Zhi vs. Peter Ho. Yes, they both starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon the TV series together ages ago. Now, they were on the opposite side. Which one of them was lying? Of course, we wouldn’t know until season 2. (Or unless you read the novel, lol.) But the point? It seemed pointless for the Supervisor to go through so much helping Xu Qi An and then tanking him later. But if he was planning for the long con, he would put in as much effort. But seriously?
- Season 2. Come on, people. If they don’t do it soon, the little girl is going to grow up and they will have to replace her when they do season 2. Or is she already all grown up already? I don’t know anymore. Considering how filming and airing time varies so much nowadays.
Recommended? If you’re a DiDi fan, I think it’s obvious you want to support him. It’s actually worth it. It’s actually a halfway wuxia and halfway fantasy. So, interesting with the mix.