Novel vs Drama; Dama is very different from the novel. It is an adaptation after all. The core aspect, which is the storyline, is somewhat the same. So if you're wondering what happens with the characters in the novel, just know that it might not get translated over to the drama. That is fine. Watch the drama as a standalone, it fairs well on its own anyway.

I was super hyped like everyone else when this was announced. Finally, a deserving Wuxia, and it was even written by Wang Juan starring ZRY and Hu Jun! You cannot get more hyped than that. Unfortunately, it was a bit different than what I expected. Good or bad, depending on your taste. There are better reviewers on MDL with deeper understanding, and so, I will rant instead.

Story:
Storyline is the slow-burn type, if you're not used to it you will get bored easily. It is well paced, political, and very easy to digest. Due to the sheer size of the novel, it is well expected for this drama to have multiple seasons, and because of that reason they need to introduce the basis of the story and its characters. However, due to how long it'll take to produce each season, newcomers might shy away from it as they do not want to be left on a cliffhanger. Additionally, some parts are left for questions, like characters, as it will probably be revealed in later seasons, which IMO, might conflict with the flow of the whole story since we have to wait. The script and storyline make sense to the writer and director because they got the whole script to read, as for us audience, we only get part 1 and so we're left yearning for more.

Acting:
Actors did a great job based on what they were given. This must have been the easiest drama that some actors did, because most of the time, they are just standing around without dialogues lol. Terresa Li’s acting is not bad per se, she just needs more time to polish her acting. It's difficult not to compare when your counterpart is ZRY and other veterans.

Romance:
Not the main focus, barely any, however there’s some hints here and there. I do not mind.

Action:
The Wachowskis sisters definitely directed this drama based on how much slow motion they used. ZRY is the chosen one, he just doesn’t know it yet. Usually people skip scenes where there’s dialogue and go directly to the fight. Well, I was very eager to (but I didn’t) skip the fights and go directly to dialogue. I'm not sure if the director wanted to be poetic and filmed it in such a way that everyone becomes Neo or oftentimes, we don’t even see the fight scene and it was cut to the bad guys already being defeated, laying on the floor. If this is him wanting to experiment new things, I’d pray to the wuxia-god that he doesn't continue it for the remainder of the seasons. I am fine if the whole drama is political and no fight, I am fine if they talk all day, but if you have to include martial art scenes, please please do not cheap out. There are multiple times where they showcase that they were capable of filming a proper fight, but that sadly did not translate often enough. You can film an artistic scene and still have a proper fight.

FYI, wuxia doesn’t always mean great fight scenes, we have been spoiled for decades that every time we see wuxia tags, we think of awesome martial arts (I'm guilty). The essence of wuxia is the adventure that a hero takes, the sect he visited, enemies he encountered, the martial art manuals he collected, and other heroes he meets on the way. That is wuxia and this drama has it. However, because the wuxia fight scene is a part of the whole story, and what the audience looked forward to the most, this drama fails to deliver that aspect IMO. And that may deter viewers.

Cinematography:
I love that they used real structures, real environment. It made it that more authentic. I also love that they did not cheap out on background extras. Making it look like a real bustling place, rather than empty streets. Costumes, sets, and equipment are well made, no concerns there. The style of filming reminds me of older days wuxia, training under waterfall, deep pan looking at camera, one slap cut scene and bad guys rolling on the floor, ah.. nostalgia. Sometimes I even wonder why a scene was filmed the way it was, one scene all I saw was the butt of God of Sword. I feel as if the effort to make scenes artistic or poetic or cinematic has resulted in some becoming awkward.

Music:
Ending theme made me melancholic. Ah.. how much more will Feng Nian suffer? Such an ill fated destiny.

Overall:
The trailer got me hyped, but it’s one of those things where your expectation does not meet. If you like slow-burn type drama, ZRY, and some great story telling, give this a try. It’s easy to digest, fun, interesting and shrouded in mystery. Just ignore the action scene, weird in a wuxia theme drama I know, but less disappointment that way. It should of been a 45-50 episodes drama ;_;

I don’t often write reviews so it is extremely lengthy because that’s how much I appreciate the drama(s), thanks for reading!

Yang Mi and Zhang Ruo Yun were both born to play costume period dramas.