Beautiful love story + Top-notch acting = Magical viewing experience
'So glad I persevered with this series as the story started to get specially interesting for me in Episode 11. This is not to say that I found the first 10 episodes boring because they were not - they set the stage for the rest of the series. But it was in Episode 11, when Ye Hua (Mark Chao) and Su Su (Yang Mi) first met, that the magic hit home. Their every interaction is precious. Even their exchanges when he was in dragon form were endearingly hilarious, like when he thought, "How dare you!" when she kissed him and he forced himself to swallow the raw meat she was feeding him so she would not kiss him again.Ye Hua is simply beautiful. Sure, the actor is handsome, but it is his manliness, depth, intelligence, wisdom, elegance, sincerity, strong sense of justice and most of all, love for and faithfulness to one woman that captivates. Another enchanting quality is his sense of humor that seems to be triggered only when he is with her like at the end when he was reminiscing their times together. Mark Chao did an exceptional job perfectly portraying such a compelling character. Yang Mi also did a great job as Bai Qian/Si Yin/Su Su, though I'm not too impressed with the character's fondness for wine to the point of severely affecting her emotions and decisions. Gosh, I'm sounding too attached to the characters. This is how powerful the hold this series has on its admirers. This is why I gave it a 10/10 even though the CGI is not perfect - the emotional attachment is off the charts.
The love story is indeed beautiful but it is the top-notch acting that raised this drama to a level of quality befitting its exalted position as the most watched Chinese TV series of all time.
Update: Re-watching the series was an even more satisfying experience. I felt the magic from the first episode. Every scene between Mo Yuan and Bai Qian/Si Yin simmers with affection, with the mystery of 'does he love her as a disciple or a woman' adding to the enchantment, if not poignancy, of the story. And now that I'm well aware of the significance of the golden lotus (Jin Lian), Ye Hua's attachment to Si Yin/Su Su/Bai Qian takes an even deeper meaning. A truly remarkable, beautiful, wonderful, mesmerizing series.
score 10/10
EternalL0ve 30 October 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw6217523/14733
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