Cast
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| Qin Jun Jie: Mu Qing Men San Dao [Door Three Blade] |
Huang Meng Ying: Wulan Shan (Princess) |
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| Liu Yu Ning: Zhuo Bu Fan [Zhuo Extra-Ordinary] |
Fu Jing: Huo Qin (← shiniang & shimei) |
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| Pang Han Chen: Wang Jia Luo (Constable) |
Chen Si Che: Lin An Jing |
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| Chen Tian Ming: Lin Hao Han Lucky |
Huang Hao Yue: Liu Lin |
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| Hu Yun Hao: Zhong Hai Chao (Wulan Shan's husband) |
Review
Alright, it's a 5! This was a serious, emotional, and hilarious journey. The serious parts do drag, and I oscillate between confusion and fascination that I don't even know if there are logical holes (there should be), but it's a 5! Two main reasons:
- Mu Qing (Qin Jun Jie), Laacky (Chen Tian Ming), and Liu Lin (Huang Hao Yue) [in no order]. Between them, there's so many surprises. Their relationships are dynamic, ever-changing. I love their 3-way Scram (滾) relationship. ML tells Liu Lin to scram, and she tells Laacky to scram. But then no one scrams.
- Lou Jian directed dramas ignite my fascination for history like no other. He makes history interesting.
There's so much more to love (like the cinematography, the face-offs, and the quirky promos) that the list goes on, and here is the list actually going on 😁:
- Favourite relationships in order:
- Mu Qing and Liu Lin (and bonus Laacky)
- All Laacky (Lucky) Lin Hao Han
- Mu Qing and Wang Jia Luo
- Japanese Ladies
- Bromance and Sismance
- Mu Qing and Wulan Shan (1st CP)
- Zhuo Bu Fan and Huo Qing (2nd CP)
- Wang Jia Luo and Liu An Jing (3rd CP)
- Supporting Cast
- Symbolism and Details
- Best Opening Credit
I adore the "romance" between Mu Qing and Liu Lin whereas the official romances are as riveting as watching grass grow. The setup was intriguing, but the romances remained stagnant for far too long. I don't think Liu Yu Ning or Pang Han Chen's acting added to their characters' likability. Their characters weren't meant to be loved; they were fighting for a lost cause and refused to change even when their futures looked bleak. However, they were so consistently passionate and stubborn, and for that, I have to give their characters' the credit. I feel for and understand their characters' motives despite not liking them.
A heroic ensemble. They are all enemies to each other, but they are also heroes to their own factions and beliefs. It's my second Lou Jian drama, and I've noticed he uses his entire cast efficiently. No character is wasted, from the young monks to the retired monks and assassins, from the lackeys of each faction to the veteran pugilists. This ensemble feels alive.
Cinematography. It's masterful because it is art, it is functional, and it is reflective of that era. It doesn't just look impressive. The dialogues are visually symbolized through elements like floating water, candy, and invisible shackles. The details extend to the puppetry props as well, with food and pets specific to certain provinces.
The music is so fun. There's rock and Chinese opera mixed in with Wild West vibes.
The ending, however, isn't so safe. But it is a responsible and reasonable ending! There was setup. It was a matter of how many.
There's clearly not enough behind-the-scenes. Everyone looked like they had so much fun, especially with all the creative promos (like the extended Ep7 opening scene, a comedic quirky promo, and a random rock-paper-scissors game to order their names, haha). (Disqus comments are here and here).
P.S. Two warnings about the ML: he makes sexist hilarious, and he looks worse with full head-hair.
Story Background for Starters
There are five factions that will constantly interfere with changing alliances
- [Ch] Qing imperialism (Mu Qing, Wang Jia Luo, and Prince Qi)
- British imperialism influencing Chinese soldiers (Zhong Hai Chao)
- Japanese imperialism (Androgynous lady)
- [Ch] Pugilists of jianghu (Zhuo Bu Fan)
- [Ch] Tongmenghui (Liu Lin)
Qing Imperialism. Mu Qing, Wang Jia Luo, and Prince Qi serve the same monarchy, but their purposes differ. Wang Jia Luo only wants to diligently arrest a murderer. Mu Qing has imperial orders to hunt for treasure to save the monarchy. Prince Qi wants the treasure to revolt and become the reigning monarch.
Obsolete Sovereignty. Talk about confusion. That's 7 different forces colliding and there are even traitors in between. On top of that, our main guys are confused about their own sovereignty. Jianghu is failing Zhuo Bu Fang, Qing dynasty is failing Mu Qing and Wang Jia Luo. Just who should they serve and what should they fight for?
Gallery
Favourite Pairings (in order):
Others:
Mu Qing and Liu Lin (Bonus: Laacky)
The unofficial CP 😍. They flirt with torture, finger amputation, and animal insults. So lovely.
[Ep17, 27, 33]
Mu Qing went from not sharing his food to picking up her "SEED SHELLS!" to feeding her 🥰
[Ep19]
The way he calls himself a hound:
[Ep20]
🤲 Dactylectomy flirting 🫶
“I'll give you my hand since you don't want to see my feet” – LL
“I’ll give you a finger for free” – MQ
[Ep21]
MQ: It doesn't hurt.
MQ: I'm not mad.
Smiling at MQ whining about his "lapdog" insult.
[Ep22]
🐢 Mu Qing training Cuckold Turtle Breath
[Ep26]
Mu Qing applies his Cuckold Turtle Breath while the women are being unfaithful, ahahaha
[Ep27]
Liu Lin's smirk is like saying "You know me so well."
Mu Qing should have just brought Liu Lin.
[Ep31]
"Who says I'm inviting you?"
Who says I'm drinking with you?
He gets insulted ("lapdog") and he has to defend her for insulting him. Sweet lapdog.
Tangerine Part 1 🤣
Tangerine Part 2 😍
Sour and then sweet!
[Ep33]
🥰 He has to love her!
🥺 He doesn't love her
But she loves him! 😭
[Ep36]
And she did change him! See how naggy he is at the end. So Liu Lin.
Laacky (Lucky) Lin Hao Han
Best Character of 2024 (thus far) Who knew I'd be fangurling for this man with such flat hair. He really is hawt 😍😂. He's awesome with anyone. This section has MAJOR SPOILERS. Scroll with caution especially after Ep32 ⚠️.
[Ep11]
[Ep13]
[Ep19]
"You know my morals. I have no morals."
[Ep32]
"Oh? Waiting for yours truly?"
YESSSSS
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
[Ep33]
🤯😍🤯😍
I was expecting a grand entrance, but are you allowed to be this hot, Laacky?! 🥵
These two are rootable too, except Liu Lin's heart is already Mu Qing's.
"Isn't she amazing?"
YESSSSS.
[Ep35]
This last moment 😭:
[Ep36]
The epitome of revenges
🥺 They can't replace Laacky, but they're all part of the movement that Laacky fought for.
You won a lot of people, but what did you actually win? Swords can cut people but can’t change hearts. The weak scholars have no sword, but they can change the world – Mo Kun / Qiao Zhen Yu (Ep15)
Laacky (and Mu Qing) changed the world (and can fight!)
Mu Qing and Wang Jia Luo
[Ep7]
[Ep8]
Once upon a time there was a Xiao Xiao Constable and a Da Da Da Ren. We were always excited for our Zombie Constable to flash his badge and exasperate Mu Qing. When did it go wrong? 🤐
[Ep6]
[Ep31]
"I am the most worthless inheritor" – Wang Jia Luo (Ep33)
Japanese Ladies
These ladies are sexy and androgynous.
[Ep8]
[Ep19]
Shixiong: “[Ladies], can we not do this? I’m exhausted.”
These ladies are amazing despite everything that they did.
Bromance and Sismance
It's a three-ML drama, but the sismance was better 🥹. This section has MAJOR SPOILERS.
[Ep7]
[Ep32]
[Ep24]
[Ep26]
[Ep35]
Liu Lin died protecting the man she loved, and in the arms of the woman she adored. She really can withstand torture 😭.
Mu Qing and Wulan Shan
Princess & Guard Romance. Wulan Shan is awesome too. Liu Lin is just better 😩
Zhuo Bu Fan and Huo Qing
She's his shimei and shiniang, and the one he loves, but she's always last of his priorities. [Ep2]
"I really want to kill you." – Huo Qing
[Ep35]
Wang Jia Luo and Liu An Jing
The femme fatale. This romance was potentially the cutest (at least in the beginning), but their story stayed stagnant for far too long that I wished she would have killed him already. [Ep17]
[Ep21]
[Ep22]
One eye is crying. One eye is vicious.
[Ep34]
If An Jing didn't let Wang Jia Luo kill her, he could have never touched her. She's their top agent.
Supporting Characters
I apologize. I don't have them all. [Ep20]
Qin Tuo shouldn't have died for him or this perishing sect! 😭
[Ep14, 28]
Ge Tai:
Cun Qing and Prince Qi
[Ep33]
Butcher and his meat shop xD
Symbolism and Details
Here's a video of the puppet props (Weibo). Drama uses Shadow, String, and Rod puppetry.Obsolete Sovereignty & Hats
The "floating" world (Buddhism)
The invisible shackles
Food
Best Opening Credit
There's also an extended version on their Weibo. (Here's another quirky promo, and a childish game of rock paper and scissors to order their names, haha). They're explained in this comment and this comment.
The floating flowers:
Liu Yu Ning fixes his height:
No flowers? No problem. LYN throws his own papers:
FL has slippery feet:
ML has slippery feet too
Sexy:
Sexy...? xD
Bai Yi Cong (scriptwriter)
Recommendations
| "Underrated" | "Era Drama" | Wuxia |
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