Source: Zhihu https://www.zhihu.com/question/1907776420278699685/answer/1912651577250018218
[+321] It is a childish drama. I won’t even go into other things, but just one example. In the first episode, the Marquis threatens Kuai Duo, and in the seventh episode, Yang Zhen uses a courtesan to threaten the male lead, Zang Hai. Both of these situations have the same problem.
What’s the essential goal of a threat? It’s to hold something of yours in exchange for something you have. Who would destroy their own cards before getting what they want in return? Isn’t that just stupid? Kuai Duo hasn’t even agreed to hand over the item yet, and you kill his family first. You’ve lost all leverage, so why would Kuai Duo trade with you? Do you even have any cards left?
Yang Zhen uses a young girl to threaten Zang Hai. Zang Hai doesn’t agree, and the girl ends up being harmed. This is Yang Zhen destroying his own leverage. At this point, the deal should be off right? But if it’s off, how would Yang Zhen still achieve his goal of threatening Zang Hai? Does the writer even understand how to threaten someone? Have they ever done a deal?
What’s worse is – Zang Hai can’t bear to watch the girl get hurt. He clearly sees that Yang Zhen is about to harm her, so why doesn’t he take action? Why not just agree to Yang Zhen’s terms? Instead, he refuses and just yells “no, no” like those incompetent women in bad dramas (and when I say incompetent women here, I’m not discriminating against women— it’s those bad dramas that discriminate against women by portraying them so incompetently). He can’t even say anything useful. Only when the girl is already harmed does Zang Hai agree to the deal. It’s a lose-lose situation: the girl isn’t saved, and he’s lost his leverage. What’s the point? With that kind of mind, how can he be involved in power struggles? How many years has he studied for this? His level can’t even reach that of Tong Lu in the Jiangzuo Alliance, much less a vengeful lead character like Mei Changshu (T/N: These are both characters from the drama Nirvana in Fire).
[+115] Even when buying trending topics, they can only dare buy topics like “the drama has polarized reviews”. What does that tell you?
[+90] Lmao. This question is asked so well. Interestingly, the polarization may not only come from different groups but also possibly from the same person. What I mean is the same person may feel that the show is both good and bad. If we say it’s good, many plot points are logically unreasonable, the protagonist has too much of a halo, and there are too many moments driven by luck. If you break down any random scene, and analyze it carefully, you’ll feel like it doesn’t make sense. However, if you say it’s bad, it’s actually quite entertaining. I’m serious, I’m just a sucker who knows all the inconsistencies yet still watches every episode, eagerly awaiting the next one, hahaha.
It built a big framework and set up a lot of suspenseful elements right from the start – Will Zang Hai take revenge successfully? Who is his enemy? Who is the masked person and what’s their relation to his family? Is Master Gao Ming a good person? Is Guan Feng a good person? Why do I feel like no one is a good person? What about the romance with the female lead, how does it develop? Does it end sweetly or bitterly? Also, that person who has been manipulating all the major players, what exactly do they want? And then, every episode sets up some small suspense and danger, which makes it quite exciting. You always feel like Zang Hai’s life is on the line, and he’s had a knife to his throat several times. How does he talk his way out and save his life? I still want to know that. Damn this curiosity.
Overall, I think this show has mastered the formula for drawing attention. Zheng Xiaolong – the director of The Legend of Zhen Huan, which is a huge personal brand that guarantees quality. Xiao Zhan – a popular star with a built-in fanbase. Market appeal – a mature story framework that uses classic plot points and fully engages the watcher’s curiosity. So, personally, I feel that this show is still a bit lacking compared to The Legend of Zhen Huan or Nirvana in Fire in terms of depth. But as a commercial drama that aims to be entertainment, it’s still pretty good.
[+62] I really like Zhang Guoqiang, An Xiang, Gao Ming, Chen Yanxi, Zhong Hanliang, Qiao Zhenyu, and other actors in the drama. I also don’t dislike Xiao Zhan. But after watching six episodes, I don’t really want to continue watching it.
Personally, I feel that this drama has some aspects that are hard to describe. It’s a bit simple, a bit rushed. Some parts try to portray themselves as impressive and profound, but the execution is average.
At the beginning, the scenes in the tomb, or any scene with secret passages, they’re all too fake. The overall set design feels too cardboard-like, especially those doors. I just couldn’t get into it.
The entire drama feels too clean—the scenes, the characters, even the clothes of some of the common side characters look like they were newly made.
Zang Hai learns from a few masters and later goes to the tomb to decode secrets. These scenes were meant to show how powerful the character is, but the execution is quite weak.
Some actors really feel like they are showing emotion, but in some small details, it feels overdone. It’s like a drop of fully saturated dew.
Please don’t flame me, it’s just that when I saw this question, I happened to watch a few more episodes in a row and wanted to share my feelings.
If a person has the item you most desire, and his whole family is in your hands, how would you get the item from him?
A. Control his entire family and use them as hostages to blackmail him.
B. Tempt, promise, and deceive him.
C. Imprison him and torture him.
D. Kill all his disciples in front of him, then swiftly kill his daughter before he can react, then kill his wife, eliminating all leverage to make him feel hopeless.
Yes, the answer to this question is D.
When I read this part, I was stunned. I was completely shocked. Mr. Zhuang, be honest, you weren’t looking for the item at all, you just wanted to kill his whole family out of your own urge.
I also forgot to mention, killing his son was as simple as just snapping his neck, with such ease. [They thought that was his son]. You killed his entire family right in front of him, and you still expect him to hand over the item?!?!