The Long Ballad (2021)

Misunderstanding leads to long battle

Love story had been started after 30 episode till then each character hide their emotions .
All four leads were good but I like seconde lead couple more though they got the screen more after 30th episode. Though it was a happy ending but I am not happy with the ending ,atleast the story should have first lead marriage also they way story went . Too much stretch the story ,involve two children as a companion with both female lead but both ending is sad this part also I don't like. Involved so many sub stories this made story little boring and long .
Story started with misunderstanding because of this a battle of revenge started . Misunderstanding clear up at the last few episodes . In between story add up few romantic scene ,I think this scenes bear the story . It is not a love story . It is a story of battle of revenge .

Leia Mais

Character development and its actors saved this drama

This is the first drama where I didn't want to skip the intro and ending which I think should say a lot about the music track.
Starts off with a bang. First ep and we're up and going. However, I did have some qualms at first, really had to suspend my disbelief and immerse myself into the story while Changge was running around town hiding from the authorities wearing a bright white costume.
This drama is definitely more heavy on character development and experiences than it is on romances which I like, and why I gave it a higher rating. There is romance and it is done well enough to be believable within each character's stories, but if you want romance heavy this isn't it.
Towards the middle to end eps things slow down. The story has a few parts where it picks up the plot pace but I feel by the ending quarter was still dragging.
I don't really understand the ending sequence as it muddled up what I thought was already clear but I also read elsewhere that producers wanted to wrap quickly and didn't give time to properly flesh out a better ending episode. Shame. They basically agreed to marry each other as partners in life just without the ceremony so why in the end are they separated? If anyone can explain the ending kindly.
Despite the drama going *slightly* downhill towards the end, the first half impact and continual character development throughout kept me watching. I enjoyed the drama overall and binged watched it even when it got slow. Got to know of a great cast and will follow many of these actors in their future works as they made the drama work when production and writing faulted.

Leia Mais

Engaging watch, beautiful styling, beautiful people, production done well

When this was released, I read some skeptical reviews about it so I held off on watching it but kept it on my list. Don't know what prompted me but felt like watching it a few days ago and I binged it in like 4-5 days and I wonder why I even waited so long coz I thoroughly enjoyed it. Except a few complains here and there I don't have much to criticize about. Loved the ensemble cast, loved the styling, the OST, the cinematography. I have no idea what the source material is like so I went into this with no expectations and it was a very pleasant experience for me. I was satisfied with the pacing till the end but I also wish last 4 episodes were a little more detailed, especially the last two felt like all too quick to wrap it all up. Talking about cinematography, there were some shots that were just stunning to watch. Oh gotta mention the choreography for the fight scenes, loved that. The camera work in those so good. One thing that annoyed me was chang ge's impulsive actions at times but I guess those were learning lessons for her in a way. Special shout out for how wu lei portrayed his character, the fierce warrior, self confidence but at the same time with gentleness and warmth to him. Have been interested in him since nirvana in fire days and I feel he has picked up some good projects in the last year or so, so I was happy to see him pulling off this character well. Also one tiny gripe is I would have liked for the second lead couple story to be explored a bit more. It felt like too quick for them to build that chemistry between them and then suddenly they are getting married. But overall this was an engaging watch for me and I think I might rewatch it again someday down the line when I'm taking a break from crossing off the dramas in my to watch list.

Leia Mais

Zhao Lusi is the star of the show!

I initially wanted to give this show a below than average rating but Zhao Lusi saved it for me. She was amazing! This is my first time seeing her and I am so impressed by her acting talent. She is so young but she's got so much potential to be one of the best asian actresses of today. In contrast to the first female lead, she is not convincing at all as Changge. She's a poor casting choice in my opinion. There were many scenes of her that were really questionable. The actor playing Sun is quite good but it's the Yueyan and Hao Du storyline that kept me from dropping this show. They need to do another drama together! Amazing chemistry! Overall, it's a mediocre drama with mediocre storyline and mediocre actors except for Zhao Lusi and Liu Yining.

Leia Mais

It is just another ordinary historical C-drama. Nothing extraordinary!

After watching another Tang Dynasty inspired drama which has much stronger cast, beautifully made and brilliantly performed in the same time, the Long Ballad has become very ordinary and somewhat boring historical C-drama for me, especially when most interesting plots slowly declined after ep 28. As Wu Lei, the male lead acting was so stiff, I nearly dropped it but kept going to the end because of Zhao Lusi and Dilraba Dilmurat were in it only. Zhao Lusi character development are actually the one worth to watch here. I perhaps initially was drawn to watch this drama because it’s a well-known story and character and cast were predominantly good looking and the outdoor scenes did look amazing. However, some of them only good looking but not looking good in acting and their performance were somewhat annoying to watch. Furthermore, I’ve also felt that Dilraba Dilmurat could not really carry or portray Li Changge character in the book in a way I expected her to be. If she could be more expressive like Zhao Lusi, she could have been better! Unfortunately, the pairing with Wu Lei as lead couple couldn’t give much help. It’s a shamed that i couldn’t enjoy it as much as others since the public rating is so high. But i love the ending theme, it’s beautiful.

Leia Mais

meh. (spoilers for romance couples but not the actual storyline)

as a person who literally only watches historical dramas at this point, this one wasn't very... good... imo.

story:
well i didn't really know what to expect cause im gonna be honest i watched this drama because of most of the cast members. i guess the storyline was decent, although it was a little slow. this was the first time i wished a historical drama could be shorter lmao. sometimes i even forgot about the main leads' romantic relationship, which honestly i don't have a problem with because the fighting and wars and stuff like that were supposed to be the "main focus" (?) but yeah the romance between the main leads was not it, just another basic "i'll sacrifice anything for you but i'll also not tell you bc i don't want you to be sad" bs. if i wanted to see that i would have watched love and redemption again lmao. ALTHOUGH i will say, the second couple was so cute. i've seen and heard a lot of other people's opinions about the second couple, saying that it's unnecessary, which i will kinda agree, it is unnecessary, but they were still so cute. i didn't really like the fact that zhao lu si was playing a weak little sister role honestly i wouldve watched a sequel with just zhao lu si and liu yu ning's relationship.

acting/cast:
don't come for me but i don't think di li re ba's acting is... good. well, it's average. a lot of people think that she has godly top tier acting skills, but uh i beg to differ. she has like five facial expressions and her crying scenes are not realistic (AGAIN don't come for me it's my opinion lol). also her hairstylist did her dirtyyy, the middle part is. interesting (shes hella pretty though don't get me wrong). on the other hand, wu lei, zhao lu si, and liu yu ning's acting were all pretty good. i was quite shocked by liu yu ning's acting ngl, i always knew him as a singer, an artist, but i didn't think he would actually be good at acting (cause a lot of idols/singers/dancers these days are... attempting acting... and they're not the best at it). although i despised zhao lu si's role, she played it well. as for wu lei, he portrayed what i had in mind when i first skimmed the summary of the drama.

music:
this is where all the points are coming from. i am weeeeak when it comes to historical drama osts. especially with the ost gods zhang bi chen and liu yu ning in this one. i listened to both osts before even watching the drama. not much else to say, just amazing songs.

rewatch value:
eh no thanks i won't be rewatching this one lol

overall:
i'd say a ... decent drama if you're really bored or if you really really really like the main cast. but if you have better dramas to watch, i'd say not to watch this one lol.

Leia Mais

The long ballad of supporting characters.

Amazing development, reliable traits with believable strengths and flaws, emotionally gripping stories that made me invested in the plot progress - what I’ve got from the supporting characters and side plots. Confused teens with good fighting skills are what the two main characters delivered.

So why did the main leads not work for me? Poorly presented context of their struggles. Li Chang Ge was introduced as a military prodigy for her young age. After facing the murder of her parents, she sets on the journey of revenge, that leads to countless self-reflection and changes of her goals and motivations. The issue is, the drama made me feel like an idiot.

All the characters around her kept saying how impulsive she is, how her actions are wrong, how the killer of her family is a good and a nice guy. I was sitting in front of my laptop questioning my sanity and the character's morals. Yes, I understand that there was more behind the story. I understood that the relationship between her and her uncles is not all that we see. My issue is, even the characters that had no reason to like or trust Li Shimin, ended up on his side right away, and I was just supposed to accept that. The writer wanted to make sure the viewers see Li Shimin as a good guy, without explaining why we should not view him as the villain. Even the most loyal people of the late emperor changed their affiliation in one or two days.

I was amazingly frustrated how no one tried to explain anything to Chang Ge, and she was just supposed to accept everyone’s claim that the new emperor is a good guy and she is wrong. As if everyone did not try to hunt her down without first giving her a chance to understand what truly happened. She was the traitor that needed to be killed.

Because of the unreasonable context, her journey just felt flat to me. Not to mention, while they showed her to be physically strong, she was extremely easily influenced by other people. Her morality, goals, views on the world shifted each time she met someone new. While self-discovery is based on exploration, the fact she just adopted whatever principles the people that were currently around her had, was a bit much.

Then we have Ashile Sun. There were fascinating ideas that could have been explored on a greater scale: how long are you obligated to stay loyal to the people who helped us in the past, should you accept all their demands or is our individuality as important, how long can you surrender to others’ demands and what are the long term consequences? His internal conflicts connected to Yan Li Khan were sadly overshadowed by his instant love for Li Chang Ge.

And the romance was not that great. He literally fell for her because “she was not like other girls”, remembering all the behaviors she presented that are usually linked to masculine traits. He fell fast and hard, and she was the initial reason for his character’s development - I find it disappointing. Often he did not feel like an individual character, but rather a shadow of the female lead.

Luckily, we’ve got some interesting side characters who made me like the show a lot. Easily my favorite, Li Le Yan had one of the best written character developments I have seen in a while. Her character development was built on her already existing characteristics. She did not become a completely different person - she simply worked on her flaws while staying true to her peaceful and gentle approach. She trusted the people around her, knew her limits and when to ask for help. She showed maturity and emotional strength when other characters were struggling to control themselves.

Hao Du, everyone’s favorite. Truth to be told, it took me a while to truly understand why everyone was so obsessed with his character, but he does creep on you - you don’t even know when, and you love him. I wish his story had a bit more screen time, so the development would be more gradual and well paced. Sill, the progress from distant, lone wolf to lost, adorable puppy was extremely entertaining and endearing to watch. I also appreciate his efficiency - kill first, ask questions later.

Even if not as well developed, the other characters that I appreciated by the end of the show were She Er, General Li Jing, King of Mobei, Gongsun Heng, Situ Lang Lang, Zhen Zhu and probably a few other supporting characters. They all had distinctive personalities, motivations, goals and aspirations. They all played an important role in the plot, affecting the events in a meaningful way. None of them felt like a background filler.

The characters made the show, because the plot was slightly all over the place.

Then we have the production issues. I am sorry, but they did not even try to make the cross-dressing believable. When Chang Ge was addressed as “he” after her first appearance, I had to pause the episode, I was so confused. All I could think about was: how could anyone ever assume she is a guy? And the show did not improve on that aspect at all.

Then there is the issue with kissing scenes. One could say - small detail if we take into consideration the whole show. But romance was a huge portion of it. The romance was what drove a lot of the characters. So when we’ve got birds’ make out sessions, a non-existing kiss fading to a white screen and even a dead body getting more action than the lead characters, one would start to get frustrated.

The Long Ballad had a lot of unintentionally hilarious moments. The new emperor being surprised his daughter was starving when she was a refugee (little grasp on reality he had, no?), “think for yourself” being seen as a lifelong experience that can be passed on to only the worthy one, the fact male lead had to be told he loved female lead 31 episodes in, after he risked his life and lives of other people he cares about for her, the overall vibe of “people die, get over it” everyone gave, female lead telling male lead he can’t kill his brother for killing his mother, while she herself has been on the revenge trip for months to kill her uncle for killing her parents. To sum it up, everyone lacks brain cells.

Overall, The Long Ballad was addicting and entertaining and I had a lot of fun watching. Undeniably sharing my rants and views on mdl feeds did make the whole experience a bit better, but even without it, I would appreciate what I’ve got from the show. For 49 episodes, it was a quick watch with likable characters, fast paced plot that does not require much brain power to understand, which makes it perfect late night binge watch material.

Leia Mais

Overhyped drama

This drama got popular cuz of the two main leads and it shows. I started the drama because I'm Zhao Lusi fan and right before it aired I found out Liu Hai Kuan had a role too (that turned out to be insignificant). This is the first drama I watch with Dilraba and Leo Wu and I'm NOT impressed.

First, I don't like the leads, especially Ashile Sun who felt like a Gary Sue (or should I call him Gary Sun?). None of his acrtion had consequences since no matter how he did, Great Khan was all over him he didn't face anything. The only thing about his character was him having a crush on Changge. Hell, the two leads have no romantic chemistry. Changge didn't think about him at all while he didn't mind others. Her falling in love with him was so forced I rolled my eyes. Maybe the fact neither of them had an actual character growth. Somehow they were always right (especially Ashile Sun) and EVERYONE listened to them. After Ashile Sun "died", I skipped almost everything.

Mimi was annoying. I don't hate Shuyu-gege, but never cared for him. Also, he shot Changge and it didn't affect anything??? Also, the plot was her getting revenge on her uncle but she dropped it without any apperent reason other than it would might contradict history (Li Shimin was an empror during Tang dynasty, that much is what I know). The truth is revealed later, but she drops her revange too early. So the whole plot is pointless. Also the story with Khatun is the one I skipped and I'm okay with that. It was so boring and predictable.

And don't let me start how much I hated the animation. Either do it properly or don't do it at all. There are drawings of a battle, but the pictures and the sound don't match. People talikng- real poeple- over the animation and it doesn't look good. It a shame since I do like the art style and it doesn't have to be in motion, but the anumation director should be fired. There were only two time there the animation was used in the right way. It was a very lazy way to save money. So many of the scenes could be live. Not to mention there episodes with no animation- I like it but it made the animation stand out more in a bad way.

Few points I liked- Leyan and Hou Du however are superior both in romantic plot line and indivitual character development. Leyan's story and growth was much more interesting than Changge's most of the time. I'm one of the few people who like Hou Du from the beggining and by the end I was completely in love. I think he is what Ashile Sun was meant to be only he was done better. Situ Lang Lang should have had more screen time, he was so much fun. Also, I've supported Sher from the begining, maybe because he was right for hating Ashile Sun.

Leia Mais

Like many had mentioned; A MUST WATCH (for the century!)

This is my 2nd review on a drama (and the first for a period dramas).

Since most reviews has summarized the whole storyline, I shall not repeat what's said.

To me, this is an amazing drama which worth all the busy time in the world to watch it (I personally had watched it, all the 49 episodes for 3x and will do so again)!!
IT'S WAY WAY EXTRAORDINARILY THAN HUA MU LAN!! Many remarkable life lessons to gain from the dramas too!! Seeing the greater good!!

Astonishing storyline!!
Magnificent acting skills from all casts!! Dilraba, Leo Wu and all the rest, fits their role perfectly!!
The production crews, the screen writers, producers, etc.. have all done an incredible job to bring this magnificent dramas alive!!

By far the most successful period drama, I ever watched! Thank you all for bringing us this magnificent dramas!!

Leia Mais

ONE OF THE BEST DRAMAS??

The Long Ballad, adapted from a popular manga, tells the story of Li Chang Ge (played by "Dilraba"), she's a princess of Tang Empire, and this drama tells about the misunderstanding she had, and because of it, she had to go far, far away from home, and she discovers the true meaning of friendship, faith, loyalty, sacrifice, love. Thereafter, She meets Ashile Sun (played by "Leo Wu) and she gets tangled into a vicious circle of politics [ more of a mess for me]. Long adventure with new people and full of dangers, new challenges, well her character is real brave and stubborn.

ROMANCE>>>
Slow burn, I will say this that even though it was slow burn and we didn't got to see much between them but, it was beautiful. He's always so caring, protective of her, while she's the type to run away again and again and again. He was so jealous when she was with Sher [his brother]. But Iiked it overall.

CAST>>>>
Amazing cast and their acting superb, I got to see my 3 favourite actors in a single drama, I can't ask for more. And the characters like SHER, they made it real interesting. HAO DU his character being strong, adding that the ost was sung by him, worth it.

OST , SOUND EFFECTS>>>>
The most interesting part of this drama was the background music, OST was real good, the music was fit for every scene.
I love listening to all types of music, so I added another track in my fav's.

CHOREOGRAPHY>>>>
The acting for the CUJU game was awesome, the director did a good job there, archery scenes, horse riding scenes, sword fighting, and all the fighting scenes, satisfying 100% , since I am a fan of action genre. 1st episode and CUJU game, I totally got immersed in it. Hitting the ball by head and, a perfect kick score goal, those strategies , movements with hands , fist.

The outfits were really attractive, like I was wishing for, that they would wear the grassland attire in the whole 49 episodes.

MY REVIEW IS SHORT BECAUSE I'M NOT GOOD WITH WORDS, SO I CAN'T EXPRESS MY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS DRAMA MUCH,
BUT ONE THING FOR SURE NO FAN WILL REGRET WATCHING THIS DRAMA, FANTASTIC DRAMA.
Thank you for reading>>>>>

Leia Mais