Believe it or not, this is my 119th Chinese drama I’ve watched from 2018 till today. I have been watching Chinese dramas since 2018 and I’ve never spend most of my time on them like I did this year. I have already watched ‘The Magnificent three’, Immortal Samsara, Love Like The Galaxy and Love Between Fairy and Devil. Today’s review is about Side Story of Fox Volant starring Liang Jie, Qin Jun Jie and Xing Fei.
First Impressions.
This is actually my first time watching a drama like this, the setting, dress code and the ponytails, I’m used to seeing them in movies.
First episode was nothing interesting. They did give it a good start with a character telling a story but then I got lost after the flashbacks. I saw lots of characters fighting and it felt like they’re forcing them down my throat. Another thing, I had a hard time identifying the characters but I won’t make a mount out of it since it’s the first episode.
I loved the fight under the rain, it is giving that badass vibe and gives you goosebumps. You already know that someone is going to get smacked when it starts to rain. The funny thing is I was only waiting to see the main leads. You know that feeling when you’re searching for your friend in a crowd? that was me. Bad first impressions, I even asked myself why was I watching the drama. I was about to drop it until they brought Liang Jie in the mix. I decided to give it a chance and I started enjoy it a little. I really have nothing much to say on this section because the drama itself didn’t reveal a lot with the first five episodes.
Story.
The story revolves around the martial world and the imperial court. The Emperor wants to control the martial world since he sees them as a threat. Then there’s Hu Fei who wants to avenge his parents and he believes Miao Renfang is the one who killed them. Hu Fei met Ziyi on his journey and the two of them fought for justice a couple of times. Ziyi is keeping many secrets from Hu Fei and us. She doesn’t want Hu Fei to ask anything about her personal life. On the other side, there’s Miao Renfang, Nan Lan and Tai Guinong. Nan Lan lived with Miao Renfang and they had a baby, then Tai Guinong came into the picture and changed everything.
The real excitement started when Hu Fei met Cheng Lingsu for the first time. There I was shipping Ziyi and Hu Fei, then Cheng Lingsu came into the picture and I didn’t know who is more suitable for Hu Fei. Ziyi and Cheng Lingsu are both a perfect match for Hu Fei. A part of me was like ” just focus on your Ziyi”, then the other part was like “nah, Cheng Lingsu is good for you”. I love the way they drew this love triangle, not the usual one with an obsessed character who’d keep plotting to separate the couple. It’s incredible how they brought Cheng Lingsu in the picture. Originally, her duty was to cure a poison and maybe stay with the crew. No one could even think that there’s a link between Cheng Lingsu, Hu Fei and Miao Renfang. She was already in the picture from the beginning and they didn’t focus on her because her time was yet to come.
Chemistry.
Hu Fei and Yuan Ziyi just clicked from the first encounter. The way they talked to each other when they fought together for the first time was entertaining. It was like they can read each other’s minds. They understood each other’s moveset when they were fighting, their fighting styles complemented each other.
Then there’s Hu Fei and Cheng Lingsu, what a good combination. Hu Fei is naturally reckless and doesn’t think before he acts. Cheng Lingsu is always careful with her moves. Everything she does is all part of her plan. It’s rare seeing her falling for a trap. These two compliment each other, Hu Fei as the brawns and Cheng Lingsu as the brains.
Martial Art choreography (Fight scenes).
Side story of fox volant is all about martial artists and their sects, it would be rude if I don’t discuss something related to martial arts. I love the fact that the drama wasn’t invested in romance even though it was part of their theme. There are many epic fighting scenes with great choreography. The drama reminded me of Heroes, just that they didn’t exaggerate the fighters’ powers. The world sect leader’s gathering stole the show with the action. The use of weapons, techniques and camera angles were just fine. I loved how the fighters would go for the traditional fist for fist. Miao Renfang’s appearance got me goosebumps all over my body. He carried himself like a God and his fight with Guinong proved why people feared him. Hu Fei also progressed really fast as a martial artist, he is an amazing fighter who can do almost every style.
Characters.
I won’t mention the main characters like always. I will randomly pick and choose.
Xiaomei character seemed to be a dead weight to Hu Fei. When she first came on screen, I thought she will just be there for one or two episodes then get Hu Fei in a deadly situation. I honestly never thought that she would even reach the end. The truth is, she was way too intelligent for her age, more matured than Feng Yiming. She contributed a lot when she was traveling with Hu Fei. She is one of my favorite characters in the drama. Li Xi Yuan is going to be the next big star in China, mark my words. I saw her in Royal feast and Love between fairy and devil, she’s is a talented actress.
Yiming is the most useless character in the drama. His time was over when they were chased out of their city. I still don’t know why they kept him alive until the last stages of the drama. He didn’t contribute anything to the story, all he did was appear behind his father and trash talk people as if he can beat them. He can’t even fight and he is way too dumb to be a strategist. I would have understood the reason behind his extended character life if his death was going to be the start of something new.
Zhao Tiejiao and his crew should also be mentioned. They’re neither good people or bad people, they only want to survive. I know they’re greedy and corrupt but there’s more to them than that. They still had their martial art code and never abandoned it. I just love how they always do their best to stay out of danger when two titans collide. They always strategize and come up with ideas that will benefit both side while they’re reaping the rewards.
Conclusion.
Why? Why the sad ending? This drama was entertaining and fun to watch but then they decided to give us a sad ending! I’m mad at the writers, like I was finally happy with the results until the last moments. It’s been a rough week, all the dramas I’ve watched during this period either where cruel or ended with a sad ending. I was holding my tears, hoping for a different ending. Besides the ending being sad, I just didn’t like it.
The world sect leader’s gathering ended with unexpected events which left me with lots of questions. The red flower club’s involvement in the story doesn’t really convince me. They might’ve showed up to save the martial art sects from the hands of the imperial court but the execution was wrong. Then there’s… Ugh, I’m going to leave spoilers if I continue. I can’t be the only one who is sad therefore I’m recommending this drama to you so that you can be sad too. My rating will be 9/10.
