El Paso Nevado de la Espada (2021)

Another Season Please!

For me this was a truly enjoyable well-rounded fantasy. I looked forward to every episode, and grew very fond of All the characters. Even the support characters are so memorable, whether it be his father, his siblings, his body guards, or his enemies. I truly enjoy the complexity of the story and the twists and turns the narrative takes. Give it a try; I think you will like it. You should be hooked from the first episode. (Note:I have not read the novel.) I thought Zhang Ruo Yun as Xu Feng Nian was fascinating to watch, especially his interactions with his father and Jiang Ni, as well as his other family members, Old Huang, and The God of Blades. Oh the God of Blades ... I think I spent most episodes just waiting for the God of Blades to do something amazing. Yes! There is plenty of action!

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An arduous journey to success.

Hello there!
So, as this is my first time writing a review, please bear with me.
After seeing Zhang Ruoyun's Joy of Life, I came here to see Sword Snow Stride. And I must say, I'm quite impressed. It went above and beyond my expectations. So, let's get this party started.

Story: A young prince named Xu Feng Nian has to overcome hardships and assassins in order to become the new Lord of Northern Liang under the eager expectations of his father Xu Xiao, the Lord of Northern Liang.

Acting/Cast: I have to say I loved how Zhang Ruoyun portrayed the character Xu Feng Nian and I am glad it was him as he is the only one who could pull this off without any awkward acting. His portrayal of Xu Feng Nian and his charming expressions/reactions while acting were so engaging in Sword Snow Stride. He gave life to the character. Anyhow, moving on Jiang Ni was beautifully portrayed by Li Geng Xi. My initial reaction was to dislike her, but then I grew to love her and her relationship with Xu Feng Nian. Their bickering relationship was one of the series' highlights. Then there's Xu Xiao, the clever, scheming, and humourous father of Feng Nian. Hu Jun portrayed Xu Xiao in such a charismatic way that I have been very interested in his character since episode one. I loved his father-son relationship with Xu Feng Nian as well. It was so sweet and funny at the same time! All the actors did a fantastic job portraying their characters, from Li Chun Gang's booger power (hehe) and awesome skills in martial arts to Qiang Ni's loyalty to XFN, Ning E'mei's distrust turned loyalty towards XFN, and Fair Fox's mysteriousness, friendliness, and trust for XFN and so on... Last but not least, Zhao Kai was brilliantly portrayed by Liu Duan Duan as always. Just like our ML Xu Feng Nian, I admired the strength of his refusal to concede defeat regardless of what happened. Where there's a will, there's a way!

Music: The OST's which I loved are
1. In this Life by Zheng Zhi
2. Travelling In The Snow by Zhang Ruoyun himself
3. And the weird instrument which used to be played whenever there was an emotional scene. I still have no idea what instrument was used (Humph!!)

Rewatch value: I think it would be enjoyable to watch it again because of its humor and fighting scenes. However, I won't be watching it any time soon, maybe after six months or so... That way I can forget what I remember (wink) and relive the feeling!!

Overall: It was an incredible journey for me. Watching all the characters grow into their present selves was pretty satisfying to see. There were times when I felt it was a bit draggy and boring at the beginning. However, it soon makes up for it and gets me hooked up again. The action scenes were also pretty cool to watch. Overall I have to say it was well written and enjoyable. I think I would rate it a 9.5.

I hope you guys enjoyed my review!

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This is an exquisite drama!!

It tells the story of Xu Fengnian, a son of an aristocratic family, who finally grew up into the king after suffering. Xu Fengnian played by Zhang Ruoyun is a man who pretends to be idle, but actually has a lot of responsibility. He loves Jiang Ni very much. He looks rich and handsome, others tease him as a childe without culture and ability, but he is actually full of experience, extremely smart and has a smart and exquisite heart.

Xu Fengnian's true love is a former Princess and today's servant girl. She is a timid and strong, lovely and stubborn, lazy but very talented. She is an admirable little girl. Her face is cold and graceful, her smile is sooo beautiful. I haven't seen Li Gengxi's TV play before. Although her appearance is not very amazing, her appearance is comfortable, so I like her performance very much. She is very suitable for performing this role.

The production of this play is also very exquisite, the picture is very grand, and the ancient costume modeling is also well designed, so I think this play is made with great care, and you must not miss it!!!

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Li Chungang Secret Arts of Nose Pickin'

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.

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An highly enjoyable period drama if you could just ignore crappy fighting choreography

Sword Snow Stride is my most highly anticipated period drama of 2021. I thought the strength of this c-drama even before watching a single episode was the cast and wuxia storyline. Casting was impressive with Zhang Ruoyun and a whole bevy of beauties in Li Gengxi, Frida Li, Janice Man, Zoey Meng, Zhang TianAi, Zhang Yishang, Ding Xiao Ying, etc. The storyline is my cup of tea with various martial artists competing for the jianghu’s supremacy. The ML started out as a complete noob who transformed himself into the most powerful martial artist who eventually ruled the world, secured the throne, and got the love of his life. Not exactly a unique storyline but it’s a favorite theme for me growing up with Jin Yong’s masterpieces.

Unfortunately, Sword Snow Stride (SSS) premiered while Yang Mi’s Pearl Eclipse, and Luoyang were still broadcasted on several platforms. Yang Mi’s period dramas have always been high budget and quality production and Pearl Eclipse was no exception. Luoyang was the surprise of the year. My only reservation is that SSS might fall below expectation because of the lofty standards set by Luoyang. Nevertheless, having watched most of Season 1 episodes, I can safely conclude that this is a highly entertaining period c-drama despite a rather average production.

Plusses for Sword Snow Stride
• The storyline. It revolves around martial arts practitioners, palace, various kingdoms, warfare, etc. Not much sub-plots because everything revolves around Xu FengNian’s adventures. But at least Xu FengNian is a funny lad, and he reminds me a lot of Joy of Life’s Fan Xian. His bantering with Jiang Ni and the other female cast is a joy to watch.
• The casting. Would prefer to see more screen time for Frida Li, Janice Man, Zoey Meng, Zhang TianAi, Zhang Yishang, Ding Xiao Ying, etc. These are all leading ladies in their own rights, but were relegated to supporting cast in SSS. Some like Janice Man had cameo appearances only. Less screen time for Xu FengNian; more exposure and beefier roles for these ladies would be preferred.
• This period drama is launched in two tiers – Season 1 and 2. The producer probably has difficulties in limiting this drama to 50 episodes only – the original number of episodes slated for SSS. Making it in 2 seasons could push this drama 60-65 range. One thing that I learnt from watching Renascence early this year is that when you cut-down the number of episodes just to satisfy the broadcasting slot requirement, you will throw away the quality. Sometimes the haphazard editing could make the series unwatchable.

Negatives for Sword Snow Stride
• The fighting choreography is too crappy with too much slow-motion actions. It is so bad that I cringe every time there is a fighting scene. Saying that fighting choreography is sub-par is a compliment to SSS.

Highly enjoyable period drama. Give it a try. Just make sure to ignore all those slow-motion fighting scenes, and you will be fine. My rating is an excellent 9.0/10.0.

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The best Chinese series of 2021

Are you a fan of Joy of Life, Nirvana in Fire? Then, no doubt WATCH THIS :D ....
I have been a serial binger in my whole life. But recently, I've lost my appetite in all drama. Especially, during 2020 and 2021. Even the drama I've been hype for so far didn't come out interesting and gotta' drop in the midway. Actually, when I start watch this, didn't hope too much and thinking of dropping it like previous drama. But once I started it, I can't stop. Every episodes is interesting and fun to watch too. This gives me the same vibe as Joy of Life and Nirvana in Fire. It's like you're playing a chess game. Sometime you can guess and sometime not sure what's going to happen next. Oh... I love this. I can't express with word very well but I really love the chemistry between ML and his father. Though they don't priority the romance in this drama, the chemistry between ML and FL is so cute and lovely. The best part of this drama is the politic play between three kings but trust me, you won't get bored. Cuz every minutes is too exciting and funny sometime as well.
I'm looking forward this crew to make more drama in coming future too.

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The awesome visuals!

Zhang Ruo Yun, you did great in this drama. Thank you! You had me cheering for you all the way to the last episode. You were so believable in the character you played. I wished there were more episodes to see you bring back your brother and sisters plus Jiang Ni played by Teresa Li, she was awesome but I have to talk about the strong women in this drama. The lady in white is what I want to call her, 2nd sister, and the little crazy one Miss Hee Hee these characters and the actress who played them were just awesomely good. The child actor named Finn Han Zhao Xuan Su toward the end, I mean everything that he did was on point, I mean the tricks and his acting (dual character) was on point as well. This kid is only 12 years old! The martial arts, fantasy, man I wish I was born in that kind of life if it could be real. I loved those scenes. The visuals, OMG, I don't know how the producers came up with all of the actors/actresses flying in the air from here, there, and there but it was so tremendously good. The buildings... wow... I was so impressed. The soundtrack had me glued to the TV! Thank you to the writers of this drama, the Sword Snow Stride team (staff) who made it all happen.

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An Amazing Disaster. DO NOT WATCH.

This show started well and ended in a disaster. It's like a gigantic Christmas present that only has a small baby nail clippers inside. What a waste of time!

I know that they wanted to create another Joy of Life but they failed flat on the ground.

The main character Xu Feng Nian is nothing but a phony strategist because half of the time he only gets saved by someone who pops out of thin air and not because of his cunning moves. As you can surmise from the poster, he was packaged to be a hero with great sword skills but really he's a lousy fighter who is saved by all his minions. And this makes his overly confident and annoying attitude unacceptable. He's not even at par with Wang Yibo's or Xu Kai's charm, so he doesn't have an excuse to be annoying and incompetent.

Oh, and don't be fooled by the action genre because the fight scenes here are 80% talk, 10% retreating, 7% choir conducting, and 3% actual fighting.

The main character, without sufficient reason (unless he's gay and he's into literally dirty old men), is overly attached to a character (old Huang, his groom) like a convicted obsessive ex-lover, but this is not enough reason to drive the story forward. The writer forced this drive (him wanting to get Old Huang's swords in Wudi City) for the main character and it's repulsive, disgusting even.

I don't understand how this got an 8.5/10 but hey, Donald Trump and Rodrigo Duterte became presidents so WTH.

Please don't waste your time on this.

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Excessive exaggerations

Inconsistent ml character portrayal, from supposedly using his smarts without using martial arts, to super heavenly master of martial arts. Just feels cheap and he also cheated. If the story stayed consistent with just using strategy and the smarts, it would have worked, like a Zhu Ge Liang, strategist. The story should have stopped at episode 30, because everything after was nonsense and over exaggerated without any strong motive. If they were moving towards martial arts, then put in real choreographed fights, not some cheap CG and offscreen pretend fights. There were also excessive females in the cast and not all can act. Just too many characters to remember or make an impact on the story.

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Good story to watch

nice drama to watch, the comedy part almost never makes the drama boring or repetitive, the romantic part is recommended to my wife, the wuxia part is very positive, even if the special effects are a bit poor perhaps due to the budget. a particular mention to the female characters that I find very successful. to watch hopefully the story will continue in other seasons.
even some secondary male characters are well characterized, some only hinted at (possibly to be developed in a new season) the two main characters are very beautiful to see especially the female part which I found with the right mix between irony and romantic side

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