Daebak K-Rambles

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Re-watch value: 0 out of 5 stars

SYNOPSIS

*From MyDramaList*

Chen Chang Sheng was abandoned in a flowing river and found by a Taoist monk. Plagued with an incurable disease, he is fated not to live past the age of 20. Chang Sheng leaves his home to find a cure. During the trials and tribulations of his journey, he is joined by Xu You Rong and Bai Luo Heng.

RAMBLING

*beware of spoilers*

Another xianxia wuxia drama in the books. It was a moderately long one at 52 episodes, and certain sections were a slog while other portions of the show were a breeze. I think these types of shows have the tendency to feel overwhelming, so here’s my understanding of the overall plot:

Chang-Sheng is fighting to live because his destiny, as everyone so obviously points out, is to die. He has an incurable fatal disease—the “power of the stars” in his blood. He got the disease from being sacrificed as an infant to the almighty Star Formation (more on that later). The Star Formation, a creation of a now-dead prodigy genius named Zhou, is a celestial body capable of controlling the fate of the Human Clan. The user, however, can be influenced by the celestial formation—addicted to its power, so to speak—and become more violent and obsessed with it, to the exclusion of all else. The formation is unstable and demands sacrifices, which is why Chang-Sheng’s mother (FYI, she’s royal by marriage) used his royal blood to quell it during the Demon Clan’s incursion 20 years prior.

+ Positives +

The crew that Chang-Sheng assembled in the first quarter of the show was absolute fire. They were a bunch of misfits from various classes and clans, and they were quirky and had fantastic chemistry together. There was plenty of character development in the beginning, so I liked how the show didn’t just throw them together; it happened over a series of episodes. Their loyalty and friendship with Chang-Sheng wasn’t overnight; it was earned.

Bai Luo Heng was played by Janice Wu (and I last saw her in My Amazing Boyfriend), and I thought she was suitably strong and emotional yet silly and playful. Janice Wu is like the Chinese version of Park Bo Young (Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Abyss, Oh My Ghostess). I swear they look so similar and have the same charisma on screen.

Special shout-out goes to Joseph Zeng (he played Tang 36), who should receive the Best Newcomer Award if I was giving out awards. He was so charming and bubbly yet able to hold it down when the drama shit hit the fan. I’m sure he’ll hone his craft and become a better actor in the near future.

I quite enjoyed Qiu Shan Jun’s internal struggle throughout the show; it felt high stakes, and so I was pretty invested in his very interesting story that winds up actually being redemptive. Episode 26 really pushed his character’s plot line forward. The crew finally make it into the Zhou Garden after finding the mystical medicinal herb that was the key. (Side note: I thought this was going to be a MacGuffin, but color me surprised, they pulled the trigger on the ~Zhou Garden~ and found the ~key~ super early on in the show.) But Qui Shan Jun ends up killing disciple Fei Bai in a huge twist, mistakenly thinking he was Black Robe. He realizes he’s been under a spell and isn’t as righteous as he thought. Then he gets all muddled and starts having a vivid dream-like hallucination where everything he ever wanted comes true. The Demon Princess Nanke joins his dream and the two get married(!) and she gets pregnant(!). He realizes it’s all an Inception-style dream when she says the Empress is dead. She breaks the fantasy, and he realizes that he’s still in the Zhou Garden. It was an awful moment for him and watching this existential trick play out was heartbreaking.

This might be minor, but I admired the audacity of the showrunners to craft a political coup—that takes place inside the Empress’s dream. It was pretty cool. Also, did anyone else feel that the stunning Chen Shu looked like Michelle Yeoh? Just me?

Lastly, I loved the budding romance between Mo Yu and Tang 36. They had excellent chemistry and played off each other so well. Mo Yu ends up possibly disabled in a wheelchair after fighting the Pope and getting partially sacrificed to the Star Formation. After saving his bride, Tang 36 is shown caring for her and still loving her, saying that he will restore his family’s good name and make her happy. Meanwhile, she’s sitting in the wheelchair with a resting bitch face, and I’m utterly crushed. This was the relationship I was rooting for, and the show gave it such a half-hearted wrap-up. I wish they had a longer and more positive epilogue, but sometimes that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

– Negatives –

I disliked how young and boyish Lu Han looked throughout. He looked so soft and prepubescent, I hated it. There was so little appeal in seeing him on screen for me, and I couldn’t swallow his terrible acting either. The show insisted on having him keel over, clutching his chest as if he’s having a heart attack and his wincing ~I’m dying, I’m in pain~ facial expression was lame. In fact, the constant pain-in-the-chest reaction from him would only elicit one thing from me: an eye roll. Skada skadeen, get this shit off my screen!

The plot tried to make Chang-Sheng out to be this Jesus figure, even posing him as if he was on a cross when he tries to sacrifice himself to the Star Formation. It’s no coincidence that Chang-Sheng seems to live a sinless, blameless life and everyone hates him for how good he is at pretty much everything. I didn’t think it made for a believable persona for him to be so perfect despite the hardships and betrayals and all the rest, which is why I gravitated more toward Qiu Shan Jun’s arc—at least Qiu Shan Jun had an arc and went through a journey of change.

Let’s talk about the worst thing in this show: the downright bad romance between Chang-Sheng and Xu You-rong. Zero, and I mean zero, chemistry between the leads. I’m not sure what to say. There was no flirting, no comradery, no discernable intimacy. It takes more than just casting two traditionally beautiful people to make a great on-screen couple. And I can’t describe how disappointed I was in episode 46. They have a Love & Basketball-esque duel to see who will sacrifice themselves for the Star Formation. First off, it was ridiculously short because he simply karate chops her and she passes out. Second, I don’t know why I have to say this but, STOP KISSING UNCONSCIOUS GIRLS! Chang-Sheng proceeds to kiss You-rong—their one and only kiss in the entire show—and she wasn’t even conscious. Can we stop with this Asian drama cliché? It’s beyond problematic.

While I’m talking about You-rong, I so wished the show let her flex her fighting skills. It was so pathetic to see her get a couple fight scenes and never truly use her ~Phoenix blood~ to any effect. I wanted some rage, some sort of showdown. The only time she sort of let go was when she battled against the Empress, who also had Phoenix blood. It wasn’t particularly riveting.

The part of the show that I nearly signed off on was the birth twist in—get this—episode 50! Chang-Sheng is not the Crown Prince, despite being the Crown Prince for the entire length of the show. His beloved Taoist priest who raised and educated him says, “Your existence is an accident of fighting against destiny.” I will now reproduce the dialogue that seemingly explains why Chang-Sheng has royal blood that “resonates” with the blood of the Empress:

Taoist Ji: You were made by Yuren’s blood. What you are carrying is actually the force of stars in Yuren’s body.

Chang-Sheng: That’s where my blood came from. No wonder I can save people.

Taoist Ji: Back then, Yuren was wounded by the Star Formation. His force of stars erupted and was on the verge of death. It could only be transferred to you.

Chang-Sheng: Turns out I’m just a container.

So, they magically transferred Yuren’s ~destined star~ to Chang-Sheng, effectively switching their destinies and making Chang-Sheng endure immeasurable pain and suffering. I can’t quite figure out why Chang-Sheng’s blood had supernatural healing properties, or if that was just a quality of royal blood, or a quality of having infected star blood? In any case, it’s such a huge bombshell near the end of the show; it’s just too much, too late. And because Chang-Sheng is so damn righteous and perfect, he takes it in stride, continues supporting Yuren and the Human Clan Empire, no problem. He was maybe mad for 2 minutes. I would have been seething for days… months… years—to know your existence has been a lie, your mother isn’t your mother, the people who raised you kidnapped you and gave you a death sentence… It’s a lot and the show doesn’t bother with the morality or humanity of it. The Taoist is just like SORRY ABOUT IT HAHA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

All in all, I wish this show was broken into seasons because maybe I could recommend season 1 but not season 2. Its only saving grace is that it has very compelling and fleshed out supporting characters to prop up the very bland and boring leads.

Did you see Fighter of the Destiny? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!