Sword Snow Stride

This series turned out to be a lot better than I originally expected. The acting was all-around quite commendable. Hu Jun's acting and chemistry with all his co-stars was palpable and hit the notes just right, whether it was a comedic scene or a suspenseful one. The deviations from the novel were not disruptive, but helped to enhance the characters' development and the emotional drama. *Pros* - acting; - production quality; - fight scenes where CGI was used to illustrate the how cultivation power works (not to be confused with traditional martial arts); - the dialogue; - characters; *Cons* - storylines - often times they just dragged on and on; - the villains - not convincing enough whether in terms of their motivations or the complexity of their schemes. *Overall* Enjoyed it and will be watching for the second season.

The characters are all very like-able. The story continues to grow, each new character adds a new element and layer to the overall storyline. The humor is sweet and the romantic element develops with the story until everything falls into place. Definitely needs another season.

I have rewatched this series a few times, and it is probably in my top ten of Chinese historical fiction.

The costumes are great, and the locations are really great too, the musical score lens to the drama.

Despite the occasional obviously over dramatic scenes, Sword Snow Stride hits the mark as a very watchable series, with a genuine need for more of the same.