Blood River (2025)

Dark River is a mysterious assassin organization which we first saw in The Blood of Youth.

In Blood River, when the Patriarch of Dark River is severely poisoned. This presents a golden opportunity for the three Blood River families (Su, Xie, and Mu) to seize the “Dragon Sword” which will give them control over the assassin organization and great power.

Su Muyu escorts the Patriach to Qiantang City to find the famous doctor, Bai Hehuai. However, the Xie and Mu families are also lying in wait, aiming to kill the doctor and end the Patriarch’s life.

Characters

Su Muyu (played by Gong Jun) – The leader of Dark River’s elite Spider Shadow Gang is also known as the “Umbrella Ghost”, known for his unique fighting style of wielding an umbrella as a sword.

Bai Hehuai (played by Yang Yutong) – A divine doctor with superb medical skills.

Su Changhe (played by Chang Huasen) – Su Muyu’s sworn brother who has big plans to “reform” Dark River.

Su Zhe (played by Qiao Zhenyu) – The former number one expert of the Su family.

Mu Yumo (played by Peng Xiaoran) – Born into the Mu family, one of the three major families of the Dark River and adept at poisons.

What I Liked

The in-depth exploration about the complexity of being human, and on the nature of ‘good’ and ‘evil’: This is what The Blood of Youth excelled in, and I really enjoyed the quiet moments where the writers explored the bonds between Su Muyu, Su Changhe and their friends.

The complex relationship between the kingdom and the jianghu: Wuxias often explore the difficult and complex relationships in the jianghu. In The Blood of Youth universe, they also explore the complex interactions between the government, royalty and the members of the jianghu. This is something they do really well, and in Blood River, after the messy start, they truly leaned in on that, which I enjoyed.

Gong Jun did well as Su Muyu: I joked that Gong Jun might do well as the taciturn Su Muyu, because his character didn’t need much expressions. (Yes, sadly Gong Jun is not known for his acting chops.) But after the first few episodes, I had my doubts. I realised that Gong Jun may be more robotic than I liked. It took me a while, but I warmed to his, er, robotic ways and just accepted that Su Muyu is just someone so tightly controlled that he doesn’t let any expression leak through.

Interestingly, Gong Jun’s performance and Su Muyu’s character arc eventually became the only motivation for me to continue watching, and probably the highlight of the drama.

What I Didn’t Like

The slow, repetitiveness of the first 10 episodes nearly made me quit this drama. The first six episodes were a slog to endure: attack, dazzling fight, pursuit, attack, dazzling fight. And me having zero idea who’s who and what’s going on or why I should care.

Information overload: Too many characters were introduced at once, especially at the start. They didn’t give the story or characters time to breathe in the first ten episodes. Before we got to know any of them, they’re hurling swords at each other or dying. And with the deluge of characters coming at me, I think I need an AI-powered knowledge base to figure my way around.

The lack of true fights: This is “new wuxia” where fights seem ripped off from a video game. As a a result, many of them are a blur to me. It’s made worse by the fact that the fights are of the “finger fu” variety where they do a few twirls, wave their hands around and magical things erupt around them. However, episode 23’s sword fight stood out as genuinely wuxia-ish. If only they leaned more on that.

I don’t really care for the characters: I get that it’s the trend to make the story gallop from the first episode, but writers keep forgetting the golden rule: Make us care for the characters first. Tell us why we should bother with them. Instead, the show tossed, literally, six episodes of non-stop battles at us. Imagine how many viewers they’d have lost because of this, especially if they had never seen Blood of Youth or Dashing Youth before.

The acting isn’t great: Alas, many of the younger actors couldn’t convey the complexity of their characters well. The veterans, however, are great, especially Su Zhe (Qiao Zhenyu).

The writers still can’t write romance worth a damn: That was my main complaint with The Blood of Youth, but I didn’t mind as the romance was mostly garnishing. Here, it’s one of the main motivations for Su Muyu and not being able to “relate” or feel his no.1 motivation is difficult. We are just supposed to accept that Su Muyu and Miss Miracle Healer are an an item, but I felt zero chemistry between the two or any solid reasons why they should be an item.

Thoughts About the Ending

The naivete and idealism of youth is a big theme in the Blood of Youth, Dashing Youth and Blood River universe. There’s a certain amount of pathos watching young people have such bright hopes for the future only to have them fail because of the unwillingness of society to change or bend to their dreams.

Of all the spin offs, I feel that this particular pathos is the heaviest in Blood River. Does that mean watching this was futile? No, because at the end, it mirrors the very real journeys all of us face: We all have our hopes and dreams in our youth, but in the end, we can only achieve what we can, and maybe that’s enough.

Conclusion

Overall, I liked the drama, but somehow, the emotional impact was limp. Meaning, I barely felt moved by the drama. Something is just missing from Blood River. I rewatched Blood of Youth twice, something which I rarely do. Every character felt alive and amazing, and I loved the entire story. Here, I did not feel much connection to a lot of the characters and none were particularly memorable, except for Su Muyu and Su Zhe. While many people liked Su Changehe, he wasn’t much of a stand out character for me.

Story: The plot improved significantly after episode 7, with meaningful character moments replacing endless fight sequences.

Acting: Mostly poor to average for the young cast, though the veterans did well.

Camerawork: The action sequences leaned heavily on CGI effects. I suppose if you liked that you’d enjoy it, but I prefer a more grounded approach.

Rewatchability: Unlike Blood of Youth which I rewatched twice, Blood River lacks the same emotional pull for repeat viewing.

On the whole, I really enjoyed how the story centres around the messiness of human nature, the idealism of youth and its eventual squashing, and the complex interactions and relationship between the government/royalty and the jianghu.

However, the show is hobbled by its uneven pacing in the beginning, the info dump of characters and by actors who need more acting lessons.

In the end, while I appreciated the deep story it was trying to tell, and largely enjoyed the depiction of Su Muyu by Gong Jun, I was just left oddly hollow and detached. And I have to say that this is going to be one of those dramas that I quickly forget….

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

I’m just glad that the gritty storytelling of Blood of Youth is back here, even if it doesn’t quite reach the same heights.

Kill My Sins review

Kill My Sins stood out to me because it is an original script and is played by more mature actors. This is unique in the realm of Chinese costumed dramas.

Tip: You can read my episode-by-episode detailed analysis of Kill My Sins while watching it.

The story

The wandering physician Ye Ping An arrives in Chang’an to set up a clinic where she quickly earns a reputation as a witch for her mysterious treatments. When she gets accused of murder, the ruthless magistrate Yuan Shao Cheng, a low-born man who is quickly rising the ranks of power, sets his eyes on her. But he doesn’t realise that this is part of Ping An’s 18-year journey of revenge.

Characters

Ye Ping An (played by Liu Shi Shi): A physician specializing in psychological conditions, but seen as a witch by most.

Yuan Shao Cheng (played by Shawn Dou): A ruthless official in the Justice department who is eager to cement his power and gain more power.

Wu An Kang (played by Zheng Ye Cheng): An accomplished general who is loyal to the Emperor, and is a scion of the prominent Wu family.

Lu Dan Xin (played by Xuan Lu): Ping’an’s loyal friend and fellow sleuth who is focused on seeking revenge.

Cai Lan (played by Ding Jie): Another friend of Ping’an who is also seeking justice for wronged women.

What I liked

What I didn’t like

Thoughts about the ending

Kill My Sins ended very satisfyingly, with most threads tied, and our hero and heroine safe after achieving their goals. One can’t wish for more! (Well, okay, maybe a less rushed story.)

Sure, I wished romance happened between them, but I think they would’ve gotten into each other’s way. I think love would’ve complicated their already difficult missions and it would’ve made it almost typical in terms of plot.

Conclusion

Ultimately, this drama is a tale of how people who started out with honourable intentions, who can be defined as “good” people, ended up losing their way and causing much evil.

Sure, this drama was topsy-turvy in many ways, with the first 7 episodes being so overwhelming that those not committed to figuring out the tale ended up dropping off.

I also think original scripts like these should be celebrated.

For so long, Cdramaland depended on webnovels to adapt, and this is something I grieved. Because, honestly, not every webnovel should be turned into a TV series.

Although this drama wasn’t perfect, it showed us that CDramaland is still capable of producing original, non-webnovel adapted work, so I hope they continue to produce these.

Final rating: 3 out of 5

#3Stars #CDrama #CDramas #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #KillMySins #LiuShiShi #ShaunDou #TV

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Yet another re-read. This isn't my favourite in the series, I didn't find the story quite as enjoyable, and miss ART. However, Murderbot continues to be unacceptably relatable. "I needed to have an emotion in private." You and me both, Murderbot. ★★★☆☆

#Books #BookReview #3stars

Black Woods, Blue Sky

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes only. Receipt of a book does not guarantee a review or endorsement.

Birdie works at a remote Alaskan lodge, leaving her young daughter alone while she works late for tips. Works late and parties too, while she’s at it. When she takes it too far one night, she’s moved to the day shift. There she meets Arthur, a […]

#3Stars #blackWoodsBlueSky #eowynIvey #Review

https://www.curiositykilledthebookworm.net/2025/01/black-woods-blue-sky/

Judge Dee’s Mystery

Judge Dee’s Mystery is inspired by the character Di Renjie (Judge Dee), based on a real-life, celebrated judge during the Tang Dynasty.

The character first appeared in the anonymously authored 18th-century Chinese novel, Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (狄公案; Dí Gōng Àn).

Around the 1940s, Dutch diplomat Robert Van Gulik came across the book in a second-hand bookstore in Tokyo and translated it into English. He later wrote his own Di Renjie stories.

The character became even more renowned after filmmaker Tsui Hark’s made the acclaimed Detective Dee films.

This drama starts at the very beginning before Di Renjie becomes that renowned detective. We see how he develops into the official revered for his detective skills.

In this adaptation, he is a man haunted by a tragic past. After being implicated for a crime, he volunteers to solve it. Thus, begins his career as a famous detective.

What I liked

• Zhang Yi We’s charismatic presence as Di Renjie. I can’t tear my eyes away from him. He may not play a “traditional” version of Di Ren Jie, but I sure love his wuxia, broody version. One of the pet peeves I have is seeing reviews that state that they avoided the drama because “the male lead wasn’t attractive”. To me, he’s a real man with imperfections. He looked like a man who had seen and been through things. He may not be idol-pretty, but he is real-world manly.
• Unlike many people, I didn’t mind that the writers messed with the traditional depiction of Di Renjie in film. (Most adaptations depict him as sly, witty and sometimes even a bit of a bumbling (pretend) idiot.) I liked that they explored his origin story here. It is tragic, sad and filled with mystery.
• Bonus mention: The actress who played Empress Wu Zetian is appropriately intimidating and regal.
• The romance between Di Ren Jie and Cao An is endearing. Di Ren Jie is so lousy when it comes to romance that it is cute to see his comrades stepping in to intervene for him. If Hong Liang (his mentor and old manservant) hadn’t stepped in at one point of the story, it may very well be that they would never be together.
• The Zhang Ruoyun arc! I must say he really added “life” to the drama. (In case you’re wondering, Zhang Rouyun is the lead actor of the critically-acclaimed Joy of Life, which propelled him to fame.) Rouyun’s character, so mysterious, shady and ultimately, shocking, gave the drama a big shot of electricity that it needed.
• The cinematography, the acting—chef’s kiss.

What I didn’t like

• The female sidekick is very annoying and often causes more trouble for the team than help them.
• The mysteries are rather … unmemorable and bland.
• Despite loving the production quality, acting, the cases … somehow the drama lacked the emotional “oomph” that makes a drama addictive. I’m not exactly sure why this is. My theory is that while the production and acting is technically good, many of the characters felt bland and colourless, even Di Renjie. The writing does not move us to really connect with the characters.
• Certain elements were revealed far to late in the story. This lessened the impact of pivotal arcs, especially the second last arc.
• They never revealed why Di Ren Jie’s father did what he did in episode one. Hopefully they’d give more clues in Part 2 besides Di’s sad memories of the event.

This was supposed to be Youku’s Big Drama of the Year, but for some reason it fell flat. I’m not entirely show why as it’s a well-made drama.

However, if you loved Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty, you will enjoy this. It wasn’t the big blockbuster hit that I’d hoped but it is definitely better than the average fare that came out in January and February this year.

Final rating: 3 out of 5

#3Stars #CDrama #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #DetectiveDee #DiRenjie #TV

With You (review)

With You is an anthology of stories about life in China right before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The drama is set against the backdrop of the pandemic and focuses on the struggles and challenges faced by individuals, families, and communities as they navigate the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic.

Here are my favourite stories:

Episodes 1 and 2

Doctors of a hospital grapple with the realities of a pandemic including the heart-rending cost of not being able to save every soul.

This was a realistic depiction of the realities of the early days of the pandemic. The story of the old woman waiting for her son to come out of the ICU, and how it affected everyone in the hospital, formed the heart of the story.

Episodes 3 and 4

A delivery rider watches the city implode as a mysterious virus appears. He decides to continue delivering food and driving people around, even volunteering for hospital work despite the anger of his wife.

Starring Ni Ni.

During the pandemic, we depended so much on delivery riders. Yet, despite putting their lives in danger, they get so little in return. I liked how this story highlighted how he was torn between doing the right thing (volunteering to ferry hospital workers and getting them food) and his wife’s anger at his “selfishness” of not placing his family first by putting himself in danger (and possibly bringing home the virus).

Episodes 5 and 6

Two medical students go on a road trip to return to Wuhan after news of the pandemic hits. They could’ve chosen to stay in the safety of their rural towns but decided that they were needed back in Wuhan. However, the trip proved to be more challenging than thought.

Starring Yang Yang.

Okay, this was a more pleasant sojourn compared to many of the stories. It highlights the paranoia in the rural areas about people coming from the cities. It does make me think about how Malaysian villages fared during the time. A lot of the coverage was about the cities, and hardly anyone talked about what was happening in the outskirts.

Episode 15 and 16

A chef ends up stranded in Wuhan when he takes the wrong train. Without any accommodation or money, he decides to take a job at the hospital as a cleaner. At first, he was so terrified by what he saw that he fled, but in the end, he overcomes his fear to serve the staff and patients inside. Starring the now-thoroughly-cancelled-because-of-unpaid-taxes Deng Lun.

This was my favourite tale because our hero was very relatable. (Also it was wild that this actually happened—that people ended up stranded in cities when lockdown was suddenly imposed.)

Our main character was, in the beginning, quite cowardly, and there will be a part of you who will be twitching at his actions. Watching him grow a spine and develop empathy for the patients and hospital workers was gratifying. Also, it was nice to see Deng Lung out of wigs for once!

Conclusion

I enjoy dramas about social issues, and China produces some of the most positive ones out there. So often, dramas that centre around society’s ills get so dark and depressing, but I like China’s brand of social issue dramas because they often have a more hopeful message.

Sure, call this propaganda if you like, but With You isn’t it despite what you may think. For one, there are criticisms about the Chinese government’s COVID-19 actions, but I suspect that Western or international viewers are not used to the more subtle or softer way Asians tend to criticise the authorities. Or, they view the more communal approach to solving issues with suspicion.

To be honest, some episodes were a bit dull, and some were a little jingoistic for me to suspend disbelief. The stories that won me over were the stories about ordinary people just trying to cope with a crazy situation—the delivery men, the ordinary workers and more.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Admittedly, this drama is difficult to access. If you’re not geo-blocked, you can watch it via iQIYI.

#3Stars #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #Covid #covid19 #TV