While watching the first 6 episodes of this new wuxia, a whole raft of seemingly random associations came to mind: The Avengers… The A-Team… 四大名捕 The Four Great Constables, Mission Impossible. One thought led to another. What’s the one feature they have in common? Unique set of abilities? Kind of. But not the answer to my question. Good triumphing over evil? No. Too vague. Life and death stakes. Again no.
This drama is already showing more promise and potential than "Story of Kunning Palace." To my surprise, the princess has been a scene stealer for me. From what I've seen so far, she's my favorite depiction of the naive-princess-forced-to-grow-up trope. This is also the first time I've seen her act, but now I'll be sure to keep an eye out for her in future roles.
So far I've seen 12 episodes and it's a superior piece of storytelling in every way to Story of Kunning Palace. If you like the princess already, you'll enjoy the rest of her arc.
I'm absolutely loving her transformation. Also can't get enough of Fang Yilun. His role here is so much better than the one he had in "The Long Ballad."
Honestly that role in The Long Ballad was a thankless one. Not a great character especially when compared to the other men. Still, he did a good job. I think he's finally found his break out role.
Hello, hello. I adore AJTL and think the writing of all the characters have been really great. It is so nice to see such camaraderie and trust between the characters. Everyone for the most part is really great in their own individual way, and the Avengers/A-Team totally works. I think this is also THE BEST role for Fang Yilun. He portrays Shi San so effortlessly and looks like he is thoroughly enjoying himself in this character.
I didn’t care much for the princess initially, but she’s grown on me. I continue to love her growth in the story with her bravery and courage.
The romance is also really mature and I love that Ruyi and Yuan Zhou communicate. Their relationship reminds me a bit of the couple from A DREAM OF SPLENDOR. My only issue with the romance between them is the conversation of all this having a baby. I wonder if it’s subtle propaganda which would not surprise me. I’ll give the drama intelligent writing though, because they’ve woven this in a way where while Ruyi is intelligent and lethal, she still is naïve about other things given how she was raised. I guess we’ll find out more as the story progresses. But I love that Ruyi is an equal to Yuan Zhou, and they did not dumb down her character…thank goodness! She’s retained all her lethalness as an assassin and her intelligence, but there is growth for her in being part of this family of avengers. I love that the rest of the gang practically support and ship our leads. It’s adorable. I find Yuan Zhou a very unique character written as the lead in a drama. Normally we get tsundere, cold, aloof characters. His character is different in that he jokes around, is intelligent, can be a charmer, but isn’t a playboy, isn’t arrogant, nor a jerk. He’s a leader, an older brother, is just, and I love the way Liu Yu Ning is bringing this Ning Yuan Zhou to life. It’s also perhaps his best role to date for me too!
And then on the opposite end for me, would be the actor cast for the marquis aka Li Tong Guang. I might be in the minority, but I can’t take him seriously as the marquis who has this commanding presence. His character is fascinating, but I can’t buy the presence of the actor. I don’t know if it’s the long curly hair, his baby face, or the thin physique, but I guess we’ll see if my impressions change.
Hope you’re having a good trip so far, and I’m looking forward to your future posts on this!
The princess annoyed me a bit at first too, in the way that naive/sheltered/spoiled princesses typically do ... but her acting quickly won me over, everything rang true for me, and her transformation has me hooked. It made me think of Zhao Lusi's role in "The Long Ballad" and as much as I love her, I think He Landou's version trumps hers.
Forgot to mention this last time, but I think it makes sense that Li Tongguang looks like a boy, since he is supposed to be playing one. Ning Yuanzhou is 30, so the contrast between man vs teenager is even more striking when we inevitably compare the two (the differences in maturity, perspective on relationships, physique, etc.). Li Tongguang might be a formidable warrior, thanks to his shifu, but he still has a lot of growing up to do.
In all honesty I can't take LI Tongguang seriously either. It's partly the writing and it's partly the actor. There are aspects of his performance that just don't do anything for me.
I am having a good trip and a really busy time. I don't even have any time to watch the latest episodes.
hahaha, same about not taking LTG seriously. I understand that LTG is still young, but realistically, most C-Dramas cast young actors to play roles of warriors/heroes/general, so I still can't take him seriously as a formidable warrior either.
Hope you'll have a chance to catch up on the eps. soon!
Lily, come back! I need you to talk about your thoughts on the entire drama of AJTL and what you thought of the ending. I have so much to say and am slowly gathering my thoughts. So come back soon, friend 🤣
My plane landed today and I'm now back from my overseas excursions. Internet was not great at the places I was in so no drama watching. But after the Christmas festivities, I will definitely get back to A Journey to Love.
I cannot wait till you finish AJTL and hear what you have to say. I have so much to discuss that I'm just excited to hear your thoughts and wonder just for fun, if we'd be on similar pages 😂.
Have a lovely Christmas and hope you have lots of cozy moments with family.
This drama is already showing more promise and potential than "Story of Kunning Palace." To my surprise, the princess has been a scene stealer for me. From what I've seen so far, she's my favorite depiction of the naive-princess-forced-to-grow-up trope. This is also the first time I've seen her act, but now I'll be sure to keep an eye out for her in future roles.
So far I've seen 12 episodes and it's a superior piece of storytelling in every way to Story of Kunning Palace. If you like the princess already, you'll enjoy the rest of her arc.
I'm absolutely loving her transformation. Also can't get enough of Fang Yilun. His role here is so much better than the one he had in "The Long Ballad."
Honestly that role in The Long Ballad was a thankless one. Not a great character especially when compared to the other men. Still, he did a good job. I think he's finally found his break out role.
Aww, jumping in to say, I agree. I think this is his breakout role too. He owns this character.
Hello, hello. I adore AJTL and think the writing of all the characters have been really great. It is so nice to see such camaraderie and trust between the characters. Everyone for the most part is really great in their own individual way, and the Avengers/A-Team totally works. I think this is also THE BEST role for Fang Yilun. He portrays Shi San so effortlessly and looks like he is thoroughly enjoying himself in this character.
I didn’t care much for the princess initially, but she’s grown on me. I continue to love her growth in the story with her bravery and courage.
The romance is also really mature and I love that Ruyi and Yuan Zhou communicate. Their relationship reminds me a bit of the couple from A DREAM OF SPLENDOR. My only issue with the romance between them is the conversation of all this having a baby. I wonder if it’s subtle propaganda which would not surprise me. I’ll give the drama intelligent writing though, because they’ve woven this in a way where while Ruyi is intelligent and lethal, she still is naïve about other things given how she was raised. I guess we’ll find out more as the story progresses. But I love that Ruyi is an equal to Yuan Zhou, and they did not dumb down her character…thank goodness! She’s retained all her lethalness as an assassin and her intelligence, but there is growth for her in being part of this family of avengers. I love that the rest of the gang practically support and ship our leads. It’s adorable. I find Yuan Zhou a very unique character written as the lead in a drama. Normally we get tsundere, cold, aloof characters. His character is different in that he jokes around, is intelligent, can be a charmer, but isn’t a playboy, isn’t arrogant, nor a jerk. He’s a leader, an older brother, is just, and I love the way Liu Yu Ning is bringing this Ning Yuan Zhou to life. It’s also perhaps his best role to date for me too!
And then on the opposite end for me, would be the actor cast for the marquis aka Li Tong Guang. I might be in the minority, but I can’t take him seriously as the marquis who has this commanding presence. His character is fascinating, but I can’t buy the presence of the actor. I don’t know if it’s the long curly hair, his baby face, or the thin physique, but I guess we’ll see if my impressions change.
Hope you’re having a good trip so far, and I’m looking forward to your future posts on this!
The princess annoyed me a bit at first too, in the way that naive/sheltered/spoiled princesses typically do ... but her acting quickly won me over, everything rang true for me, and her transformation has me hooked. It made me think of Zhao Lusi's role in "The Long Ballad" and as much as I love her, I think He Landou's version trumps hers.
Forgot to mention this last time, but I think it makes sense that Li Tongguang looks like a boy, since he is supposed to be playing one. Ning Yuanzhou is 30, so the contrast between man vs teenager is even more striking when we inevitably compare the two (the differences in maturity, perspective on relationships, physique, etc.). Li Tongguang might be a formidable warrior, thanks to his shifu, but he still has a lot of growing up to do.
In all honesty I can't take LI Tongguang seriously either. It's partly the writing and it's partly the actor. There are aspects of his performance that just don't do anything for me.
I am having a good trip and a really busy time. I don't even have any time to watch the latest episodes.
hahaha, same about not taking LTG seriously. I understand that LTG is still young, but realistically, most C-Dramas cast young actors to play roles of warriors/heroes/general, so I still can't take him seriously as a formidable warrior either.
Hope you'll have a chance to catch up on the eps. soon!
His character is giving me whiplash. My hopes are dashed every time I think his arc is about to take a turn for the better.
Lily, come back! I need you to talk about your thoughts on the entire drama of AJTL and what you thought of the ending. I have so much to say and am slowly gathering my thoughts. So come back soon, friend 🤣
My plane landed today and I'm now back from my overseas excursions. Internet was not great at the places I was in so no drama watching. But after the Christmas festivities, I will definitely get back to A Journey to Love.
I cannot wait till you finish AJTL and hear what you have to say. I have so much to discuss that I'm just excited to hear your thoughts and wonder just for fun, if we'd be on similar pages 😂.
Have a lovely Christmas and hope you have lots of cozy moments with family.