The Long Ballad (2021)

A Very Interesting Strategy Story of Love Matched on the Battleground

The rich historical account of China's battle with its neighbors have created this tv series that fictionally account the battle strategies during the early conquests of China. Utilizing tribal inter marriages or heqins, spies and even game matches can all be strategies in order to gain tribal access, favors and even battles.

The Long Ballad showcases that love can amazingly bloom even between enemies and on the battleground. That even the Emperor of Tang and Great Khan can agree that a perfect match of hearts can lead to attain peace in their war torn regions.

Leia Mais

Powerful, mind-twisting and passionate drama!

Dwelling in the past only brings trouble, people come and go but you trust the new that is the future. This drama captures military strategies and depicts the fight against kingdoms so beautifully. I was intensely involved in how the leaders were making decisions and how Changge(FL) was coming up with interesting ideas. I personally love strategies and problem solving and this drama showed it really well and nicely executed. However, many claim to stay just for romance and forwarded a lot.
Here, comes the other side, the romance of the leads wasn't that involving. Although I loved the initial part of drama, slowly it started losing its color and became dull. At this moment the second leads picked up the romance and it was worth watching because it was so fricking lovely. (Flash alert: These 2 have an upcoming drama in 2024 which is super exciting as their chemistry was just out of the world)
Acting:
I felt the acting in this drama required a lot of emotions and facial expressions and each character play their role well which is not the case with most dramas.
Story:
I loved the storyline but somewhere near 35ish ep I started feeling same strategies being repeated, characters being purposely killed which really wasn't necessary but just screentime. So i found myself forwarding in the end but the second leads romance always grabbed my eye.
On a side note, I also loved the FLs character development because they show how rage can sometimes blind you from making the right choice and end up hurting the ones you love. It was beautiful, lot to learn and grasp. The ML was just there tho, its just shown he fell hard for her and nothing more, this could have been developed better,

Overall:
Its a great drama, unlike most cheesy dramas (which im not a fan of like story of minglan or ashes of love which just show blind love and not focus on other aspects of life because the world just revolves around the 2 leads which does not resonate with me). This one was a bit real, although it lost that interest towards end specific to the leads but the rest storylines and characters, the strategies, the dialogues teach so many life lessons like moving on, what true love feels like (loves you for you) and how to take advantage of making the right decisions. I would highly recommend to watch this worth a watch historical drama. It felt hard to remember places and names but it helped me improve my memory power and focus i guess xD.

Don't look back if you're looking for a intense historical drama, this is the right one!

Leia Mais

Nice female leads

I loved this drama unexpectedly. I loved both the fls here. Both were strong n had such a nice ckt arc where they grew as ckts individually due to the hardships they faced. I loved dilraba n wu lies chemistry too n loved their pair but sadly it had less of romance story of them n so I ended up feeling robbed off as the drama isnt abt romance much. But still it was enjoyable. Unpopular opinion but I didn't like hao du as ckt or with Zhao lusi as her love interest. He wasn't given a proper arc or reason to fall in love with yong in. He was jst obsessed with following his father's order to kill yongan, then suddenly realised he loves yongin after going in search of her?, maybe the need to find her safe made his protective side to feel he is in love with her or something.. Anyway, we move. I loved Shers ckt too, wanted to see more bromance scenes between sher n Sun. All in all a long n slow but interesting drama, I may not rewatch but enjoyed watching it nonetheless. Oh, Leo wu looked absolutely breathtaking with Ashile tribe getup n added the charm to the show. ?

Leia Mais

─ does the glory really matter ?

After lingering on my to-watch list for some time, I finally delved into 'The Long Ballad'—and I'm truly glad that I did. The well-crafted storyline and character development kept me engaged from the very first episode, with each subsequent installment revealing more secrets and complexities. I especially appreciated the focus on narrative and characters over mere romance, exploring both Tang and Ashile cultures. Exploring the Ashile people's episodes was particularly refreshing to see ─ as it isn't so common to see such dramas explore historical incidents from their settings.

The acting was remarkable across the board, with both leads and secondary characters delivering standout performances. Despite occasional moments where characters seemed to disappear, the drama ultimately struck a balance, allowing each character's development to shine. Another aspect I really liked is how both Li Changge and Ashile Sun were established as individuals ─ means we actually saw their morals, perspectives, and agency beyond just romantic involvement. They both had their own goals and protected each other while also caring for others which is not so common to see in dramas that prefer to focus on romance only.

Dilraba's portrayal of Changge's growth was particularly impressive, while Wu Lei's performance as Ashile Sun, especially in EP25 involving his mother's incident, was emotionally gripping.

While the director's style, especially evident in 'SOKP,' isn't entirely my cup of tea, I found the action scenes well-executed, particularly the Cuju game in EP1, which was truly epic. Occasionally, technical issues like echoes and camera positioning dampened the impact, but the strong storytelling and acting overshadowed these flaws.

The OSTs were a standout feature, as expected since I was familiar with some tracks even before watching the drama ─ and each song added depth to the storyline. The instrumentals were epic as well and showcases the hard work put in this project.


link to edit : https://youtu.be/BV1cR_6LW_Y

Leia Mais

A travers plaines, prairies et déseert, la longue marche d'une princesse et d'un général

J‘ai eu un peu de mal à y entrer, vu 9 épisodes, puis après une très longue pause j’ai tout repris par le pied et là je ne l’ai plus lâché !! Le titre est parfait parce que c’est une ballade au sens où on nous raconte une histoire poétique, avec des personnages nombreux et intéressants, et une balade parce qu’on se promène des Plaines centrales au Grandes prairies en passant par les Déserts dans de très beaux paysages, des décors grandioses et au bruit du galop des chevaux .
Admettons tout de suite qu’il y a quand même quelques grosses naïvetés au niveau du scénario, des raccourcis improbables aussi, mais la réalisation a contourné le problème en remplaçant les scènes de chute (Ah ! la fameuse falaise est ici un précipice vertigineux)de guerre ou qui poseraient un gros problème technique par des dessins, forts beaux ma foi, et je trouve cette idée géniale ! Mais cela ne nuit pas et même donne une certaine fraîcheur au récit, comme si on lisait un magnifique livre d’images.
Cependant si on accroche si bien à l’histoire, c’est que le(la ? les ?) scénariste s’est attaché à créer de vrais beaux personnages, avec leur profondeur, leur part d’ombre, leur personnalité propre, et qu’il(elle) a su leur donner une réelle évolution au cours de leurs pérégrinations ! Changge va apprendre non à pardonner, mais à comprendre et à faire la part des choses, comme savoir faire passer l’intérêt de son peuple avant sa vengeance. Il en est de même pour les autres, même les méchants ont le temps de nous laisser comprendre pourquoi ils en sont arrivés là ! On croise des personnages secondaires qui parfois ne font que passer mais qui prennent toujours le temps de se faire apprécier pour leur générosité, leur intelligence, leur noblesse ou leur loyauté, ou le côté insupportable comme le jeune Prince Héritier !
La fin est parfaite, chacun est à la place qu’il s’est trouvée, pas forcément celle qu’il (elle) imaginait au début ! Ceux qui ont à subir un chagrin éternel ont acquis la force de le supporter, ceux qui ont trouvé leur bonheur sont là pour les y aider.
Bref, engagez-vous dans ce voyage au long cours, et comme moi, arrivés au bout, vous vous direz « Et maintenant ? Quoi faire ? » l’esprit encore plein des échos de la longue ballade…

Leia Mais

Action-packed, political turmoil, survival, dry romance...and a story that loses steam mid-way.

The Long Ballad was not quite what I expected.
TL;DR Overall opinion: I found the drama quite enjoyable (especially the beginning). Towards the end, the side characters' stories became my central focus (less dragging). The drama had some slow parts that were good parts to stop and come back later. In general, the Long Ballad is about a C+ to B- on my grading scale. Watch it again? Probably not. Do I appreciate the drama? Yes. Do I want a season 2? No, I don't think that is necessary. Are the characters memorable? Yes.

Pros:
1. Strong Main Lead(s): Dilraba plays the role of a physically and mentally strong, capable, clever girl (Changge) who is raised as a princess of the emperor. She encounters many hardships that test her mental and physical strength. Ashile Sun (Leo Wu) is a seemingly cold, intelligent person. He is the general of the Eagle Division under the Great Khan. His character is interesting to watch--from the carefully devised plans to his unique mercy (as well as heartless killing).

2. Fun Supporting Characters: A few of my favorite supporting roles include Hao Du (Liu Yuning)--a very stoic, heartless man-- and Li Leyan (Zhao Lusi)-- the hopeless princess and best friend of Changge. Both characters are fun to watch as they mature and change throughout the drama. I was also surprised to see Liu Haikun take on a less serious role of a swordsman (Situ Lanlang).

3. Dynamic Characters: Especially Hao Du, Li Leyan, and Ashile She'er--the characters' journeys in life adds depth/gives more to the drama.

4. Soundtrack: Need I say more? Look up "Cocoon" by Zhou Shen.

5. Antagonists: The antagonists change throughout the series, each posing a different threat that requires a new strategy which kept me guessing.

6. Storyline: The storyline is excellent! I don't want to give away spoilers, but I will say this: From Princess to outcast to military strategist to slave to outlaw to hero... the story follows the life of a girl whose life is flipped backwards, and whose friends become enemies and enemies become friends (NOT A SPOILER).

7. The Side Plots: The side plot with Li Leyan kept me going. Even when the main plot dragged for eternity, I persevered for her corner of the drama. Her journey is unique, like Changge's, but shows us that you don't have to be a battle princess or a military strategist... everyone has their own struggles, even the innocent, the rich, the poor, the heartless... *cough cough*

Cons:
1. Flat Characters: Changge started off as a dynamic character--kind to those close to her and kick-butt to her enemies; as the drama progressed, she gradually became flat and emotionless (aside from tears--the romance scenes with her blank expression often left me confused about her emotions at the moment).

2. Annoying Characters: (Entirely my opinion) the Crown Prince, Mimi Guli (sometimes she is sweet and likeable especially towards the end of the drama, but other times she is just a bit... annoying), Zhen Zhu (Princess Tujia of Monan--extra), and Wei Shuyu (he started off fine, but eventually became extra).

3. Poor/Cheesy Graphics: Sometimes the cartoon and the live action will be combined, but the live action part looks like a... well... 1979 footage on extremely blurry, smashed lens.

4. Drags on: Towards the end, the plot began to drag. Not-so-big issues took f o r e v e r . It could have ended with 40 episodes.

5. Sorry guys, the Romance: Romance is just the sprinkles on the cupcake, the cherry on top, NOT the sole purpose of the drama, nor the main issue at hand. In the Long Ballad, not all the romance was bad. Li Leyan's romance was cute and bearable, and so was Mimi Guli's romance. The main leads... well... it dragged. It seemed a bit weak in some episodes (from I LIKE YOU in one only for meh in the next). Or it would be confusing *does she like him or is this a flaw in expression* and sometimes the relationship issues at hand were exaggerated. The main leads' relationship with each other sometimes seemed VERY dry. But, the small actions like taking one's hand or standing up for one another and watching each other's backs were enjoyable (sometimes it just got confusing).

Leia Mais

Heart pounding♥️, Exciting, Entertaining

Love that there are, like, no misunderstandings, there's a great cast, acting, visuals, action, and OST! I also really enjoy this drama as there's always been an element of mystery, it constantly surprises me and I have literally no clear idea what'll happen next! I feel there are a few dragged out scenes on certain characters. Also, felt there didn't seem to be too much chemistry between the 2 leads, more like a mutual respect? maybe because of the age gap?‍♀️ Wasn't bad though, still quite liked both characters!
The other couples make up for it though☺️?
Overall I'm really enjoying it ?

Something extra...
New bias, Liu Yu Ning?
Loved his song in Love and Redemption, had no idea it was him! Love listening to his voice❤️ Great actor too?

Leia Mais

A decent Cdrama

Wow, I'm actually enjoying a Cdrama after a long while! It's fast-paced, many of the characters are clever (not all of them cuz that'd be unrealistic) and, despite the age difference, I have utterly fallen for the main couple! Their personalities match really well, truly a power couple! This is also my first time watching a Leo Wu drama and I'm loving it so far.

I don't usually like politics and warfare but they've mixed in a balanced amount of humor, romance, friendship, action, conspiracies, and life reflections to keep me interested. Yes, it has it's flaws but I find it better overall than many of the Cdramas that have come out recently. It's not shockingly impressive like 'Joy of Life' but also far from the scathing reviews a lot of Chinese are saying. Idk how Go Go Squid(which I found the main FL's childishness and stalking behaviour quite grating to watch and the plot quite simple. I did like the ML's acting though) didn't get much negative reviews and yet this drama does when it's got much more layers to it. So take reviews with a grain of salt and just check it out for yourself ?

Dilraba and Leo also seem quite comfortable with each other behind the scenes and get along well. I noticed many of her fans mentioning how relaxed and happy she's looking, while promoting the drama, for the first time in a long while.

I'm looking forward to the next episodes, fingers-crossed it maintains the quality until the end!

Leia Mais

disorganized and preachy

Before I started, I didn't understand why there were so many negative Chinese reviews. However, unfortunately now that I tried watching I understand... for a production of this value, where the actors did pretty well, I just couldn't being myself to keep watching more than halfway...

The good: Acting was pretty good overall. Leo Wu and Liu Yuning were better than I expected, this being my first time watching their stuff. And Dilraba is professional as always. The little boy Emperor was very cute and the Khan was on point.

The bad: the highlight and defining plot line in the first ~ 15 episodes of the show was Li Changge's revenge. However, after that unravelled somehow, the writers seemed to kind of give up. For the rest of the show we just got a random smattering of the usual cliches in quick succession: great justice inflicted upon the land, love triangle, random betrayal, parents dying, badass swordsman shows up and looks cool etc. Whenever the plot stalled, they seem to kill off another character and bring in a new one... The original characters also lost their original purpose, with Li Change training a new sword technique under a new master for no reason, Ashile Sun leaving his pride and joy of the Eagle division to wander around in love, Hao Du a competent warrior content to be delegated to the Princess' bodyguard, etc.

The really bad: Aside from Li Change, the other female characters were basically unbearable. Sorry but I can't stand Zhao Lusi's character. Zhao Lusi seems often cast to portray female characters that talk to others like a teacher would talk to kindergartners, a mix of idealistic preaching and repeating obvious facts over and over. And yeah, her character was just so useless it made me a bit angry... Unfortunately, Li Change is not that much better as a character. When Ashile Sun blamed her rash actions for causing the Eagle division's situation and his stepmother's death, I had to agree. The whole rescue that Li Change 'planned' was basically pure improvisation. And Mimi, what a purposeless character that reinforces negative stereotypes about women. It's always the female characters that get this dumbed down treatment.

I guess I should stop here with all this crankiness, I've already let myself write too much.

Leia Mais

It really is the romance we've needed.

If there was every a source material that truly deserved an adaption, it would be for the Song of the Long March. Truthfully, although I have my complaints, they don't disappoint with this adaption. It's fairly true to the source material (where the changes are actually beneficial to the story and character development of the other characters). They also chose excellent actors; not exactly the ones I had in my mind, but boy did the embody their characters P E R F E C T L Y. (Dilraba was pretty spot on truthfully. I'dve like to see Kyulkyung try this role. But truthfully, Dilraba 110% fits the bill. I couldn't see it any other way.)
But all of the actors-- they somehow make the characters more lovable then their source material version. The side characters are a bit more memorable, and you grow to be invested in the side stories progressing as well. There's plot twists, and stuff -- but it really helps fill out each character to seem more realistic. I found myself routing for the people I hated the most.
The cast, I can tell immediately -- seem like they'll be dorky and friendly off screens. It's unfortunate that I feel like the chemistry between Dilraba and Leo are a hair too dry for my liking, (i.e. Le Yan and Hao Du seem a bit more clear cut) but truthfully... I don't hate it. It's one of the few times, if not the only time it makes sense that they're not falling into each others arms. They really delivered even more then what I expected of the main characters in a way that makes sense.
Additionally,. their subtle movements, and really minute expressions truly makes it feel like they're living the life of the character. It feels natural; generally speaking, this doesn't feel like a rookie cast. And more importantly, the direction of the show is really on point. It isn't a 100% score in my book, but I think my bar is set a little higher just given my love for the original series as well as having seen some of the other work of the cast.
At Dilraba specifically, to no fault of her own, I found myself comparing her to her previous works where she has a similar estranged character (i.e. The King's Woman), and she hasn't really been able to separate those similar archetypes apart; it's a difficult task, probably impossible even-- but it's my small gripe. She makes Changge seem a bit more bullheaded and warrior-like in comparison to a quiet, chess-sort-of-cunning that I had imagined Changge to be. She grieves, but much more...loudly yet not as deeply....if that makes any sense. If I had to explain it another way, she acts too mature for the role, but contrasts by giving Changge a more childish/unwise? reaction to some things that makes her seem like she's in a different role.
Leo on the other hand makes Sun to be a bit more cool and calculating then I imagined Sun to be (if anything I expected him to have a bigger gap like how Dilraba is), but he really really shows the trust he has in her -- as well as understanding in her then I think the source material could ever get across. He knows what he wants, but he's not possessive, despite being the cold king stereotype. It's really really refreshing to see a male lead like that. I think he shows a really good progression of just being involved on the ride to I'm really just here for my girl Changge. I think this quieter (then the already quiet Sun) version really shows why he's the best of his clan; and it's not just purely on brute strength. *wolf's whistle to the fight scenes they do give him though because ooh weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee*
Again with all of that said, I really did not hate anything about this show; the whole cast gave it more colour that made it equally if not more enjoyable then reading it. They're purely gripes of a book to adaption watcher.
And even though it's not a one to one adaption, it's not a poorly done spin off either.
It's a good balance of new and respecting the original.; truthfully I think if this was my first historical style show, or if I had not read the series first this would have easily become my favourite series of all time. But since it's not, the least I have to say is this is an A-tier drama with S tier acting, S-tier directing and also most importantly S-tier source material. Please watch it. Also please consider reading the manhua.

I haven't slept yet, (in fact just binged up until episode 33 until my internet went down).. but I'm itching to get back to it. Somehow it brings me back without giving me horrible cliffhangers to hang off of-- which P.S. I'd say is the same level of draw that the manhua gives.

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