From the picture, you can't tell much. In fact, if not for my friend who has insisted that its a must-watch show, I would have given it a miss. Periodic dramas are hardly a must-watch for me, as I am poor in understanding those difficult mandarin terms used in the olden times. And at 54 episodes, its soooo long.
"During the 4th century, war broke out between the feudal Northern Wei dynasty and Southern Liang dynasties, leading Liang's General Lin Xie to take his only child, the 19 year old Lin Shu, to battle. Unexpectedly, Lin Xie was framed by a political rival, causing the unjust deaths of seventy thousand Chiyan army soldiers, just after they drove off the hostile Wei forces.
After barely escaping with his life, Lin Shu establishes the Jiangzuo Alliance with the help of Langya Hall and makes a name for himself as Mei Changsu, chief of the pugilistic world. Under the alias of Su Zhe, he returns to the capital of Liang 12 years on to overturn the injustices imposed on the Chiyan Army and secretly assist his friend the unfavoured Prince Xiao Jingyan in his battle for the throne."
At the end of the whole show, I can't say I understood it completely, because of some of the terms used but it was a 80% understood show for me.
During the first episode, it was too complicated for me to comprehend what the show was going to be. There were too much fighting with so many characters in the first episode without much explanation. I had wanted to give it up but persisted and I am glad I did. From the 2nd episode, it just drawn me in and I can't help watching episode after episode just to find out what happened. It is that exciting!
It was mind-blowing wonderful and engaging. The tactics used by the strategist who is the male lead is so spot-on and everything turned out beautifully and expectedly as what he wanted. The climax just keeps building up and you can't wait to see how the ending will be.
The revenge, the tears, the planning, the hidden identities, the political agenda, coupled with the brotherhood, the righteousness, the determination, the persistence, the love, the loyalty and the justice are just engaging factors waiting to spill out one by one, as they draw the audience in.
I found the ending in the last episode to be too rushed and an almost anti-climax. I was expecting something more beautiful to end it with a bang but it ended quietly instead. Still, a must-watch! I have started to appreciate the importance of a strategist in historical dramas now.
Watch here.
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