The Longest Promise

I have waited to see half of all episodes before writing a review, but now I can confidently say that this is a great drama series! It shines in may aspects:

• Storyline

While it takes an episode or two to fully understand the setting, from then on it's a captivating story with good setups and payoffs, never letting plotlines drag on for too long but also not cutting interesting story elements short.

• Characters & casting

The stars of the show, Xiao Zhan as Shi Ying and Ren Min as Zhu Yan, are the heart of the show. Shi Ying is the tragic center of the story, while the character of Zhu Yan adds the necessary sweetness and a bit of lightheartedness to the story. Especially Xiao Zhan's performance of Shi Ying brings a lot of nuance and heart to the character.

The supporting cast is also very strong: they are well acted and all have their own motivations, ambitions and struggles. They are all written 3-dimensional and make the world and its inhabitans seem more alive (with the only exception so far being the Ice Clan).

• Visuals & CGI

This series is simply beautiful to watch. Sets, costumes, lightning, fight choreography, "magic", CGI background and creatures - they are all masterfully done and really work well with each other. For that alone it's a great watch.

• Music

I often don't notice music, even when it's well done. In this drama however I often notice music in a positive way, consciously realising that it imroves the scene I'm watching even further and motivating me to go back and watch the scene again.

All in all a great drama to watch for any fantasy fan, and definetly a must-watch for any xianxia drama fan.

I was really hooked around episode 8

I'm a Wuxia fan but I always enjoy a great Xianxia, and this happens to be one of them. Xiao Zhan is an incredible talent. Xiao Zhan is a consummate actor, able to play any role and become that character. I had just finished his beautiful & latest drama The Youth Memories 2023 not too long ago, where he played the confident, assertive, and gregarious Xiao Chun Sheng. That drama was a slice of life/coming of age. In The Long Promise, he played Shi Ying, a loner, calm, quiet, and introspective with a tragic past. Very few artists can reach that depth of acting in two totally different types of characters as successfully as Xiao Zhan has.

The overall story is solid and the chemistry between all characters is excellent, it's not just 2D between ML and FL so that's another really strong point about this drama that many other dramas lack... The different relationships between all the characters and their character growth. I loved Gen Qing & Yuan. Chong Ming kept me smiling though.

I wanted to add that at first, I was skeptical about the FL because she's not a big-name star but she stepped up to the plate and played Zhu Yan wonderfully. A young, strong girl, who stands up to bullies even if she has to face adversity, and isn't afraid to show her true emotions. I always found little games like playing hard to get so annoying in other dramas (pet peeve) but that isn't the case in this drama. There is angst though, that's Xianxia for you, but the silly games that are annoying are not present in this drama.

Finally, the CGI, cinematography, and fighting scenes are so well done. The usage of natural geological landscapes is stunning. Scenes have a Zen-like quality. My favorite parts are usually the marital arts scenes since as I said, I favor the Wuxia genre. They were seamless and fluid, with great choreography. The color, the lighting, and the movement were done very well. It's just a stunning visual treat from beginning to end.

Highly recommended., especially if you love Xianxia.

I recently completed watching 12 episodes of "The Longest Promise," and I must say, this fantasy drama is absolutely breathtaking. Xiaozhan's acting prowess is truly remarkable. His profound understanding of the characters shines through, enabling him to flawlessly portray their essence.

Furthermore, the scenery throughout the drama is truly amazing, immersing the viewer in a visually captivating universe. The scenic vistas and finely created sets lend depth and charm to the overall look. Furthermore, the action sequences are extremely powerful, demonstrating the production team's passion and skill.

The producer and the entire crew clearly put their heart and soul into creating this outstanding series. The attention to detail and obvious hard effort make "The Longest Promise" a remarkable watching experience.

I have waited for 2 years for this drama, and I'm not disappointed! XiaoZhan is just as gorgeous as I expected, and the female lead is pretty and cute. The whole show is in very high quality, beautiful costumes, magnificent sceneries, and interesting story lines. All other supporting roles and side plots are very good too. The only thing is that I am distracted by XiaoZhan's handsome face, and would miss what they are saying. I had to go back and replay the parts multiple times LOL. This makes me so happy, what a nice summer vacation gift! I am so excited and looking forward to the rest of the episodes!

The Longest Promise is a whole package drama, each following episode is growing on me. The world needs to see the ethereal beauty of Shiying and the amazing production of The Longest Promise! And it looks magnificent on my huge screen. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 Can kill the gods and guard Kongsang, and is willing to suffer the death penalty, ShiYing sticks to his heart and never changes👍🏻 I really want to see the off-screen on Netflix .There's so many Shiying and Zhuyan cute moment of Offscreen. What is Shi Ying's heartbeat? It's the red fire flowers growing wildly on the wishing tree! Hahaha.

Top🥇: ShiYing's last wish to himself: "it is me who have returned to see you (zhuyan) when the snowy rosa blooms every year"

A must-watch!!