vhtnu

I'd been waiting for this drama and I'm not disappointed. This drama pulled me in right away after the first episode. I feel emotionally connected to the characters, especially Duan Wu/Su Muzhe portrayed brilliantly by Zhao Lusi. I've laughed, cried, and shed many tears. The characters are complex, the storyline is engaging with amazing cinematography and music score, OSTs, and the nuanced acting of its cast. I'd only seen two dramas of Liu Yuning, The Long Ballad and A Journey To Love, and for me, Yan Zijing is his best role to date and suits him perfectly. Determination, perseverance, survival, will power, women empowerment and independence are some of the main themes in this drama, reflect ongoing women's struggles in the modern day. I'm feeling sad that this drama is about to end soon, but I know that I'll be rewatching. A must watch series! Available on Youku International app and Netflix.

I enjoyed the first few episodes, got bored after repetitive storyline and lost interest after episode 11. There're too many unnecessary filler scenes, this drama should have been shorter. I liked Byeon Woo Seok's acting though his character seemed one dimensional, yet he's able to convey emotional depth and his micro-expression was good. On the other hand, Kim Hye Yoon's overacting became too much as the story progressed. I'm not particular impressed with her continued wide-eyed look, and felt she was stiff in intimate scenes. Overall, I liked the OSTs, cinematography and wished the drama could have been shortened to maybe 12 episodes.

I am new to Xianxia genre, it's definitely not my favorite. I wanted to give TLI a try since I dropped so many Xianxia in the past, didn't think that I'd binge watch all the episodes in a few days. I am loving the story (easy for me to follow), the acting, the beautifully detailed costumes, pleasing cinematography (not too overly saturated) and color grading. I actually went back and rewatched ep 1 and 2 while waiting for new episodes. I'm looking forward to see how the story unfolds even with the coming angst. If anyone who is new to Xianxia, please consider watching TLI. Love the water beast baby Ayin!