The Lotus Casebook (2023)

The #1 swordsman in all of Jianghu just wants to retire to a peaceful and simple life…but his hidden past awakens and does not allow him to do that.

Li Xiangyi carries a heavy burden, a poison that is slowly killing him. He has managed to escape death and his glorious past life as #1 in Jianghu. He is simply tired and wants to live out his life, however long that is. He does not want to die, but knows that it is inevitable. Yet somehow, he finds himself entangled with old friends, new friends, and a series of crimes that all seem connected in some weird way. But he just wants to retire as Li Lianhua, why can’t Jianhu just let him do that! But an innate part of him draws him into his new situation because he slowly uncovers a hidden secret that is entirely against his own morals, so he decides to pitch in whatever effort he has left to make things right again.

Cheng Yi’s masterful performance of Li Xiangyi/Li Lianhua brought BOTH personas to life. They are the same person, yet both have their own distinct characteristics. Li Xiangyi is a headstrong, upright youth who will put his #1 martial art skills to use to uphold his own morals. Li Lianhua has gone through *life* and has long given up on his youth. The only thing they both share is their chivalrous spirit. Li Xiangyi/Li Lianhua is the calmest, coolest person in all of Jianghu and Cheng Yi did an amazing depiction of that. The audience is able to understand Li Lianhua as much as Cheng Yi wanted us to understand, meaning sometimes we knew what he was thinking and sometimes we had no damn idea what was on his mind. As satisfying it was to watch him calmly solve cases like a natural born detective, it was just as satisfying to watch him explode into action and his CLEAN fight moves. Just as Cheng Yi said in an interview, Li Xiangyi’s character development is very unique in that in most cases, characters develop from a lower position into a higher position, but Li Xiangyi’s development went the opposite direction. Despite that, he still learned a ton in the 10 years that he traveled Jianghu. Even though his ultimate state was nothing like what he had 10 years ago, his entire outlook on life has completely changed for the better, and I think he got the ending he felt most suitable for him.

This drama was a perfect example of having a plot that builds upon itself. Even though the entire plot was basically case solving followed by case solving, there were clues cleverly and mysteriously hidden from the beginning. This drama does a good job of keeping the audience engaged because we have to actively remember clues that appeared several episodes ago (with a million things that happened in between) in order to understand the logic behind the progress of unraveling the hidden secrets. Many times throughout the drama I found myself saying “OH YEA, that happened” as I tried to piece together the information. Of course I gotta applaud the SEVERAL major plot twists (no spoilers here) that happen, damn I did not see them coming. But it’s weird because I feel like I should have seen them coming. I felt like I was walking in Li Lianhua’s shoes when the plot twists were revealed, and maybe that was on purpose.

Lastly I wanted to talk about the supporting characters. Fang Duobing and Di Feisheng are actually very simple characters, compared to Li Lianhua. We already knew from the beginning that Fang Duobing is Li Xiangyi’s #1 fan and Di Feisheng is Li Xiangyi’s #1 (fr)enemy. Fang Duobing’s character development was more on the side of him growing to become a better detective and martial artists. His chivalrous spirit was already there from the beginning. Di Feisheng is actually kind of the opposite. He was already a top martial artists from the very beginning, and his only goal was to fight his way to become the ultimate #1 in Jianghu. His character development is actually building his chivalrous spirit and becoming someone who not only wants to win, but also wants to win for the greater good of Jianghu.

My favorite supporting character has to be Jiao Liqiao. Aside from Cheng Yi’s performance, her performance was my favorite. Her character was so simple minded, dumb, yet smart too??? She wanted one thing and one thing only, and she had solid plans for getting it.

Unfortunately as the story went on, I found that I had forgotten most of the characters that appeared at the very beginning. There were just too many to remember, and most of the important characters appeared near the middle/end. I wouldn’t call this a flaw of the drama, but I just wish they made some of the supporting characters that appeared (or died) in the beginning few cases more memorable.

Damn this is a long review. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this drama from beginning to end. There were no dull moments, and the whole thing was very fast paced. A perfect example of an epic Jianghu story.

Edit: note to self so I can go back to it later. This drama perfectly integrated comedic moments, mostly coming from Li Lianhua and his ability to lie with a poker face haha. My favorite funny scene had to be the one at the beginning of Ep 13 when a certain puppy found out he got left behind again...

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I wanted to like this drama but…

Sadly this drama was a bore. I tried to finish it two times with months apart and the secind time I watched until episode 14 which was an improvement from episode 6 the first time. I have nothing against the actors or the premise of the story but somehow I had to force myself to continue watching and I found myself always avoiding the next episode by choosing other dramas like My Journey to You and Kunning Palace instead.

It is well made and not particularly different from many other dramas but the characters never got me curious or engaged. I simply didn’t care if Li Lianhua found what he was looking for. I probably won’t try and watch the drama a third time. I didn’t hate it I just was bored.

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Disappointing ending

Story line is good up until the ending. The story takes you to solving mysteries like a Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick.

The choreography of the fight scenes is fantastic.

Be prepared for disappointment though.
Character development is good.
But the endings in these dramas are too often disappointing as is with this one.

Li Lianhua is an amazing character but has a character flaw where others care about his life more than he does.

I feel robbed of 40 hours watching 40 episodes to have this nebulous ending where they built up thos story line beautifully.

The writer should be shot for writing this.

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Li Lianhua, Everytime you walk away, it feels like you're going somewhere faraway.

I have been following this drama ever since this was a rumor back in December 2021, to June when this started filming and now when it finally released, as I've read so many articles about the novel and the ending, the story is about letting go of the past and I thought the ending would be a good ending for Li Lianhua.

I knew of the ending but when I watch the last episode, I'd never thought that it would make me stare at an empty wall for hours. There's something about his character that when he's walking away and you look at his back, there's this lingering feeling that he's going somewhere far far away where he lives a quiet and peaceful life alone. I don't know how to describe it but everytime I watch him walking while looking at his back, there's just this indescribable feeling that I couldn't meet him again everytime he walks away, and who knows if we'll ever meet again.

I also love the character development of each Characters and how they hold important roles in the story. And I must say, I love and Hate Jiao Li Qiao AHAHA, there are some parts that I hate her but I can't keep myself from also liking her for some reason, I like the way her character is written.

Kudos to the directors, screenwriters, actors & actresses, and to everyone ‼️‼️

Even as a student journalist, I'm not good at making a good and detailed review lol.

PS: This might be random but as an LOTM fan (Lord of the Mysteries[A Chinese Novel]), I can Consider Cheng Yi as Klein Morreti. No, I really consider Cheng Yi as Klein Morreti if they will ever make a live adaptation (Since the Donghua PV Released a few days ago, it's not impossible for a live adaptation to happen). Considering Omniscient readers Viewpoint is having a live adaptation, Can LOTM have one too starring Cheng Yi? I'm blabbering rn but I'm already imagining it lmao. ?

Thank you too for everyone on the comment section, I had a good time with you guys even though I'm only reading comments from the sidelines. I'll probably still camp here as I am having withdrawal symptoms.

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Perfect cast! Not only the main characters but all of them nailed it! I love the main trio so much, it's like I can never get tired of their interactions with eachother and they feel like home! that outro and intro OST became my fav Cdrama OST! The visual, and their fighting scenes were so well done! Chengyi's martial art was so amazing! I loved waiting for the episodes and checking comments here every few hours; cause this drama was THAT good!! It was an amazing experience! Thanks to all the actors and crew for this amazing drama!

I'm already missing my fav trio ...Their brotherhood was everything!

Xiao Shunyao is so attractive to me and he Indeed is a great actor! I think this was my first time watching him and his character DFS was my main attractor for this drama. I looked for him in every episode crazily.

I watched some dramas of Joseph Zeng before but he made me a fan of him after this drama, his acting was so amazing!

Before I heard a lot about Cheng Yi but couldn't get into his other dramas because of the romantic genre. But this drama totally made me a fan of him!! His expression, his martial art skill, his humor, his voice, him in costume...everything was perfect!

This trio was perfect perfect perfect!

~10/10~

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Cheng Yi always manages to make the audience cry with his acting skills!!!

I really love the story and the beautiful friendship between the three of them. I think no one can portray Li Lian Hua as ChengYi does. He is the best at understanding the character and always knows how to portray it. Plus we get to listen to the real cute voice of Cheng Yi. I still can’t let go of this masterpiece even though it’s already ended. ? (I know iQiYi doesn’t want people to give too much attention to this hit dram because they have to release other dramas too ?) It’s ended much much earlier than the schedule but I will definitely rewatch it again savoring the emotional crying scene of Cheng Yi. ❤️ I am looking forward to South Wind Knows My Mood too.. I hope we can get to see it this year.

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This has become one of my top cdramas ever, and not just in 2023. Absolutely everything about this was a joy to watch, but I especially loved the relationships between the characters. It's hard to find a drama nowadays that doesn't focus on romance, and this drama is an example of one that's perfectly done even without one. The production was top notch, and everything just looked high budget and realistic (martial arts, settings, costumes etc) which made it so easy to immerse yourself into their story.

100% would recommend - watch for the friendship and the mysteries!

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An Unforgettable Jianghu Bromance

Mysterious Lotus Casebook came after a very long wait - and a long C-Drama drought. I can say - it was definitely worth the wait and is the best Wuxia drama this year after Blood of Youth (in my opinion).

The story is as much about friendships as it is about uncovering mysteries and conspiracies of the past. Li Lianhua becomes a “miracle doctor” after helping bring two “dead” people back to life. He meets Fang Doubing, an up and coming martial arts hero who is fiercely protective of his “shifu” Li Xiangyi (who is presumed dead after certain events that transpired a decade ago). Unbeknownst to Fang Doubing, Li Lianhua is none other than Li Xiangyi, but instead of wanting to go back to the martial arts world, Li Xiangyi is perfectly content living his life as Li Lianhua. After solving certain cases in jianghu, Li Lianhua bumps into his old nemesis, Di Feisheng. What follows is a gripping tale of friendship, bromance, betrayal and letting go.

Mysterious Lotus Casebook for the most part is pretty outstanding. It has all the elements that make it one of the standout shows of this year. In no particular order, these are my thoughts about the show:

THE BEST BITS:

MAIN CASTING: Our three leads - played by Cheng Yi, Zeng Shun Xi and Xiao Shun Yao are PERFECT for their roles. They have incredible chemistry with each other and are magnetic whenever they are on screen. Without this trio, I don’t think this show would have been as good. Cheng Yi exudes a wonderful and contemplative maturity as Li Lianhua - he is both world-wise and world-weary. Whenever he lies through his teeth, he leaves us laughing, but when he expresses the pain of betrayal, it is heartbreaking to watch. He plays 20-year-old Li Xiangyi and 30-year-old Li Lianhua very differently. On the other side of this is Zeng Shun Xi, who plays Fang Doubing as a young and naive puppy. He’s very adorable and needs a lot of guidance from his one true friend (Li Lianhua). ZSX does a great job here too and the age difference between him and the other two is very obvious. Xiao Shun Yao’s portrayal of Di Feisheng is so magnetic. He exudes a maturity and yet an intimidating aura suitable for his character. Some of the best moments of the show come from the interactions between these three characters.

THE FIGHTS: The fighting sequences were very well done and interesting to watch. I wish there were even more of them, but I am happy with what we got.

THE WRITING: Linking the plot to conspiracies and mysteries that needed to be solved was an interesting way of unravelling the story. I love how the characters - particularly our main characters - were written. They had such snarky ways of talking to each other and it was a real treat to watch.

PUPPY: Fox Spirit needs a place on this list. At least he was a regular on the show and wasn’t forgotten ?.


THINGS THAT WERE LESS IDEAL:

Although I liked most of Mysterious Lotus Casebook, it misses out on a full rating for a few reasons.

THE VILLAINS: The villains, although not bad by any means, felt too on-the-nose. The maniacal laughing could have been toned down and perhaps they could have been given some more back story so that we understand their motivations a bit better. In addition to our main antagonists, Zijin was really the most annoying character on the show. He would show up at the worst moments and try to force LLH to jump or fight to the death. He was so one-note that it was annoying.

UNDERUSED/MISCAST ACTORS: The supporting cast is largely good, but some actors seem quite underused, and others miscast. From one of the main supporting actors, I thought Chen Duling (Wanmian) wasn’t exactly the best choice. She somehow seems to be crying ALL the time. She didn’t look like she was a martial artist either, but a rather weepy woman. Unfortunately, this is similar to the way she portrayed her character in Till the End of the Moon. Huang You Ming (Zijin) was also very miscast. He is a good actor, but he had extremely little to do here.

MISUSED MUSIC: Whereas the show has a good and extensive instrumental OST, it is often misused and inappropriately used. It often detracted from what could have been an impactful scene.


OTHER THOUGHTS:

The Sigu Sect sucked! But maybe that was the whole point of showing how these so-called virtuous martial arts sects are actually hypocritical. They were quick to believe all the defamatory things said about Li Xiangyi and somehow were quick to believe that he had suppressed the Bicha Poison. They really did not care about him at all.

THE ENDING: I felt that the ending was rather tragic and sadly Li Lianhua ended up being a rather tragic character. We do know this is how he is - that he accepted that death was coming to him. He did not want to be a part of the pugilistic world but wanted to be free from those burdens. When he left his Lotus House and Fox Spirit and snuck away without saying goodbye to FDB, this was expected. But I wish he had stayed and allowed himself to be taken care of by his best friend. I wish he had given DFS a chance to fight him. After surviving for 10 years to look for his martial brother, only to find that his martial brother was the reason for his miserable existence, he would have felt that his life was a lie. Cheng Yi seems to love playing such tragic characters. Li Lianhua probably hated who he had been as a youth and did not think he deserved to be doted upon or that he deserved to stay alive. Like FDB kept telling LLH - “you don’t care about your health at all”, and that is so true. I just wish we had gotten a closed ending instead of an open one. I usually like sad endings, but I would have liked a happy one for this, where LLH would have survived and roamed Jianghu with his besties. Is that too much to ask.

All in all, I love this show and will really miss all the bromance. Definitely worth the wait and worth a watch!

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A martial arts adventure costume drama

Sometimes, a 40 episode costume drama may seem to drag and lag, but this was not the case with Mysterious Lotus Casebook. It felt as if there were less than 40 episodes, and that the story should keep continuing. This was a fast track drama that did not hesitate, and flowed effortlessly to its conclusion.

Fluid scriptwriting, strong directing and action direction, professional acting skills, creative set designs, very good editing and costume designs, and songs and BGM that did not sound repetitive for the first time in a C-drama. The flashbacks looked subtle, and did not disrupt the concentration during the scenes.

The Three Musketeers Avengers impressed the viewers with their martial arts skills and their evolving comradeship. Blink, and you might miss their stunts on screen. Cheng Yi, Joseph Zeng and Xiao Shun Yao looked like professional martial artists while performing their fight scenes. I have seen their previous drama works, but they stood out in this drama.

The two delulu villains, Jiao Li Qiao and Shan Gu Dao, were OTP. Shan is arguably the best nutcase villain in C-dramas in recent years. He throws a shade on other drama villains.

Fox Spirit wins the Cutest Character in a Non-Speaking Role Award. Hire her for more dramas, please.

Overall rating: 9.5
.5 deduction for some odd editing toward the end of the drama, extraneous blood spitting, a somewhat ambiguous ending and a few dull supporting characters.

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One of the best....

This is one of the most successful best friend/brotherly sidekick TV shows I watched with regard to Chinese dramas. It offers a wonderful storyline of whodunnit's to be solved by two great detectives...one a newcomer and, the other, a pretend but very convincing physician. The constant challenges, storyline twist, and fantastic characters along the way will keep you riveted! There are plenty of good guys, bad guys, beautiful women, and comedy that is evenly spread throughout the series. Just when you think you've figured it out... you haven't so allow it to unfold instead of guessing and you will have much more fun! That said, the final of the program suggest a 2nd season...due to what I perceived to be a cliffhanger. However, the Chinese have wonderful way of not allowing for too much happiness or sadness for an ending. So, I'll let you decide which. Personally, they are missing out on a guaranteed high rating if they don't.
One other area, the Hero in this drama is not your standard fare. He isn't the most handsome or the most well built in stature. However, he pull it off magnificiently with a very suave and cool demeanor with some hilarious comebacks all delivered perfectly! Bottom line, I like this guy, alot!! Enjoy, one and all...

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Magnificent!!!

This is absolute gem,everybody need to watch it to be frank.

From the story to the cast, everything was just superb.

The story is so fun and engaging, there's no dull moment, everything is mixed together. The only problem is not to get addicted ?.

The cast delivered beautifully, it's not like those dramas you'll complain you don't like the FL or ML,or those unnecessary misunderstandings, the leads are quite a joy to watch.

There's no need to hesitate,just go on and watch it,you won't be disappointed.

Personally,this is in my top ten wuxia dramas.

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