Who Rules the World (2022)

This drama is truly amazing

I saw clips of this drama on YouTube and it immediately caught my attention. I'm not a huge cdrama watcher and historical dramas don't usually peak my interest but this one did. And I'm so glad I watched it. This drama has everything you could ever want: Interesting plot? Yep. Great acting? Yep. A beautiful romance? Absolutely. Strong female characters? Heck yes. Male leads that are strong, respectful, and handsome? Yes, yes, yes! This drama is perfectly paced, it's not too fast or two slow. Every plot point is properly explored and everything that happens has an effect, nothing is pointless in this drama. The romance had me swooning, it's so perfect. It's healthy, it's cute, there aren't that many obstacles, it's simply wonderful. And I love love love that the character that could be considered a love rival for Bai Fengxi becomes her best friend. She doesn't try to hurt Fengxi because Lanxi likes her, instead they become close friends and support one another.
Over all this drama is a 10/10 and I highly, highly suggest you watch it

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Bai-Hei Fengxi deserves more exposure

Definitely had a very mixed feelings about this cdrama while I was watching it, but all in all it still managed to capture my heart. This cdrama started really strong, I was sold with the rival to lovers troupe and double identities. The actors all did a fantasic job on portraying their characters and the main couple is so shippable, damn they’re such power OTP.

This is actually my first cdrama with both lead actors and all I can say is wow. I might even had a big massive girl crush with Zhao Lusi, like maam step on me?! Although Yang yang did a fantastic job portraying Hei Fengxi/ Feng Lanxi, I still find myself not into him as I am with the actor who portray Huang Chao.

Let’s just be clear, my preference on certain character doesn’t mean I ship Huang Chao and Bai Fengxi/ Feng Xiyun. It’s a fat NO, i love the main couple so much they’re perfect for each other I just have different dude preference. I guess this is more of a preference type at this point LOL. It’s a toxic trait of mine preferring Red Flags than Green ones, your gurl is colourblind.

I also feel the need to say that I kinda simps more on the Hei Fengxi identity more than the second prince Feng Lanxi and it’s because of the hairstyle. Feng Lanxi hairdo isn’t just it for me. But yeah, I kinda hope they had more story scenes on the Martial Art World cause Bai-Hei Fengxi duo is so iconic. I kinda left this cdrama halfway through the series cause I felt like I had enough of Feng Lanxi issues with his family. Like damn Yongzhou drama kinda drags, give me more of my Bai-Hei Fengxi bad-ass adventures.

So yeah during my break from this cdrama I kinda had a marathon on Zhao Lusi ‘s much earlier works cause damn my gay self is whipped for her. I watched Please Be at Ease Mr. Ling and The Romance of Tiger and Rose while readying myself to deal with Yongzhou drama and the stupid emperor just makes my blood boil so much like tf why you so angry to have a really smart and capable son as a candidate for the throne ??? Bitch should be thankful Feng Lanxi didn’t inherit his father’s stupidity.

Oh back to Zhao Lusi damn she’s such a phenomenal actress??? I swear she acts so great she embodies her characters so well. Like each drama I don’t see a shadow of Zhao Lusi or any of her previous character but just the character itself. Tbh, if I’m new to Asian dramas and can’t tell faces apart I would have hard time figuring out that it’s the same actress portraying all those characters.

I wished that the writers also explore on the other states aside from just Yongzhou cause it really had promising plot with the Six States and Imperial Family and all. I hoped and just got my heart broken to see so little scenes from Princess Xiyun and her family and state, Qingzhou. It would be so lit if they did and I was so curious abt the fact that Princess Xiyun was well known and actually is seen as such a great princess. Like ummm where and what is the backstory???? But yeah they didn’t provide one and I think they missed a really great story arc in that one. And damn the brother, he fine af my bros, he’s the second dude in this cdrama that I got a big fat crush on (more than Huang Chao tbh.) I wished I had seen more cute scenes with him and Feng Xiyun. (Spoiler) Like I think if they elaborate more on Xiyun’s really loving and supportive family I could have actually felt the despair of their deaths and the need to avenge on Xiyun/ Bai Fengxi. And their death scene could have actually brought me to tears than just feeling like it’s just another turning point scene. Zhao Lusi’s acting was the only thing that convinced me that they’re actually important to Bai Fengxi/ Feng Xiyun. I just feel like they could Xiyun could have more interaction with her family rather than her martial sis which is immature and stupid, Langhua. Can you guys telI have a lot of penned up frustrations about this missed potential.


Battle scenes towards the end was kinda meh more me like ummm yep they flying and all but they still hasn’t figure out evil’s dude purpose in life until a new character never seen before but mentioned told them like sir what you doing the past episodes??? (Spoiler) And excuse me, after all those episodes about retrieving and stealing of fake token we actually missed the part when the actual token get into the hands of bad dude and where was it this whole time??? Ending feels kinda rushed and I want more scenes of Bai-Hei Fengxi married life, they’re so cute together and all I get as an end is eyebrows drawing.


Overall, Plot was engaging and interesting but I think it could be more elaborate. Actors was fantastic, kudos to them. Chemistry of main leads are top-tier just hoped they could have shown it a bit more. Mixed feeling on royal politics it def had its own ups and downs. War scenes are kinda weird to see as special effects was so obvious and kinda unrealistic. I want a Season 2 not as a sequel though but more like a prequel. Like if there will ever be Season 2 which I guess would never happen, I badly want to see more of Bai-Hei Fengxi duo and their adventures during that 10 years. And,yep, I want more backstory on the other states especially Qingzhou. Still, even though I had a lot of obv complaints I actually enjoyed the series and took time to write this review/rant (whatever) which is to say this series really got my attention. So yeah I guess it’s a pretty alright series. K that’s all idk if anyone would bother reading this whole ass essay anyways.
Final Verdict/ Rank: Lovable Series

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Black & White will always make me think of Bai-Hei Feng Xi

One of the best Chinese dramas I have watched to date. The 40 episodes never felt long to me, in fact towards the end I wanted more from this drama. The plot is amazing, the acting and all the visual effects never felt cringy to me which is an accomplishment. For once, I truly fell in love with this genre of Chinese drama and truly appreciate their craft. The story is just so beautiful, and the main actors/ress' chemistry really made me long for this special kind of love. Had me sighing throughout the whole drama for how much the couple compliment each other.

To be honest, if there is one critique, is that I want more of the couple in their lovebird/honeymoon phase. As after they confessed to one another, the plot really started to thicken and they had to focus on worldly, political affairs. Annoyingly, even then the support of the couple to one another's issues was a demonstration of the love and care they have for one another. I love the main couple- how their visual (costumes, hair and makeup), and their acting (body language and expression) really shine when they are on the same screen together. That symbolism of white and black really did carry throughout the whole drama and was reminder of how they balance each other out.

As well, I love the pacing and the progression of the production. How the story unfolded, the lessons that were shown and what kind of hero(ines) Bai-Hei Feng Xi are. The ending is truly bittersweet as it gives an impression that all their struggles seems redundant. However, as the story unravels both of them truly embodied what mattered to them which was ensuring there would be good governance to achieve world peace. Despite their noble backgrounds and the power struggles they went through to achieve their royal statues. They left all their worldly desires to become humble beings of the Martial Arts World just to be with one another (so romantic). Overall, will be one of the my top dramas ever.

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Who Rules The World - more style than substance

In a Nutshell:
In this drama, society is divided into two parallel but distinct paradigms; the mainstream political world, and the martial arts world also known as Jianghu. Our main characters, Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi are the top two fighters in Jianghu. Their names sound similar, but are written in different Chinese characters. Bai means white and Hei means black, which in the source novel is meant to represent their contrasting personalities. Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi share a friendly rivalry and have known each other for many years. She nicknames him Black Fox for his calculating and cunning persona. He describes her as a troublemaker due to her maverick behaviour and unashamed love for eating and drinking. The mainsteam society is ruled by the Emperor of the Dadong empire. This empire is made up of six States which have their own responsible governing body. Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi have alternate identities in the mainstream world which they keep as a guarded secret. The story begins when a mystical token controlling all six States is declared missing. Hei Feng Xi and Bai Feng Xi become caught up in the search for the token and the subsequent power struggle, as each State attempt to conquer one another to ultimately claim dominion over the entire empire.

The Highlights:
Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang are terrific in this drama, with their endearing portrayal of the main characters and sizzling onscreen chemistry. As an actress known primarily for lightweight comedic roles, Zhao Lusi surprisingly fits the “as beautiful as she is lethal” character of Bai Feng Xi like a glove. She steals the show with her versatility and acting chops, as she effortlessly brings to life the elegance, charisma, playfulness, and wittiness of Bai Feng Xi. Yang Yang also shines in his portrayal of the calm and strategic Hei Feng Xi. He plays the different shades of the character well, with measured intensity. All his scenes with Zhao Lusi are on-point and the off-the-cuff banter between their characters was incredibly fun to watch. The evolution of their relationship from friendly rivals to falling in love unfolds naturally and nothing felt forced or overly sweet to give you a nauseating toothache. The self-deprecating scenes about cliched plots in romantic novels was also cleverly woven into the script. The OST / music was very well done and gave me ear worms for weeks!

The Lowlights:
Who Rules The World starts off with promising first few episodes, with visually spectacular fight choreography and interesting character set-ups. The story then rapidly descends into the depths of sloppy scriptwriting and vanilla bland plotlines, resulting in a mediocre mishmash of palace politics and family melodrama that seemed to drag on forever. The story gets somewhat back on track in the final 8 or so episodes, but by then, it was such a mad rush to wrap things up that the pacing became uneven and haphazard. This, combined with choppy and disjointed editing, left some episodes feeling flat and uninspiring. Even the scene where Bai Feng Xi delivers her character-defining line, which was said in the context of soldiers who have willingly died for her on the battlefield, felt indifferent, as there was not enough lead-up or follow-through in the narrative for me to appreciate the emotion of those words. The motivations of characters were also shallow and under-developed, leading to actions that were either puzzling or just down-right illogical. Despite being heavily promoted as a martial arts / WuXia drama, most of the fight scenes were cramped into the first and last few episodes, which left the middle acts of the drama feeling a tad dull. The CGI battle scenes also started off well, but towards the end, deteriorated into a B-grade Marvel movie imitation.

The Verdict:
Who Rules The World had so much potential to be a well-made drama. However, the screenplay was too ambitious in trying to cover multiple narratives, resulting in an undercooked incoherent story. This left the actors to do much of the heavy lifting and often looked lost in their own plotlines. That said, if you are looking for a historical fantasy drama purely for entertainment, great chemistry and endearing main characters, then this show will not disappoint. But if you are looking for a well-written story, then you might not enjoy this one as much.

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This drama was pretty good, one of my first Chinese drama. I love both the leads and that have good chemistry. The relationship between the leads was amazing. No misunderstanding, trusting each other and working together + healthy relationship. The story was also great and kept me interested. I also think the fight scenes were not bad. I would have like to see more of the second couple.

Yes it’s was a happy ending and they will live happily together, but I was a bit disappointed that they both « abandoned » their country. Both their families, parents died and they ascended the throne, but they both just left. Maybe it’s just me but I kind of did not like that?‍♀️
Also he has only some years left… so it’s a happy ending for the years he has left. Not sure I like that. Feel like I read somewhere that this wasn’t in the novel

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The essence of good Chinese dramas - must watch if you are new to Chinese dramas

Excellent cast, amazing on-screen chemistry between the leads, beautiful costumes, lovely ending theme song - pretty much sum up the drama. The story is especially interesting if you are new to Chinese dramas. But if you watch a lot of Chinese dramas like me, you might find some elements in the drama are more of the same.

This is the first drama I watched lead by Yang Yang and I am VERY impressed by his acting. He is one of the very few Chinese actors with slitty eyes, who is very handsome. If you have noticed, most Chinese actors and actresses tend to have very big eyes, with the exception of a few like Deng Lun.

The story started from Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi, two well-known celebrities in the martial arts world, being at loggerheads with each other. Their rivalry was interesting and amusing to watch. One day, Bai rescued Hei from nearly drowning in the river and discovered he came from a complicated family. Her sympathy for him changed her attitude towards him and romance started to blossom. You can indulge in the romantic scenes.

The drama has a lot of feel-good factors as the good and righteous always win, even when placed in a very disadvantaged situations and might at time be badly hurt. The evil and underhanded always eventually get punished. The drama at parts reminds me of Royal Nirvana where the crowned prince was always punished and hurt and eventually committed suicide in the sequel, But this drama was quite different. Feng LanXi was too clever and smart for his rival brother.

However, the story did not end as well as I wish it would. Although I would not call it a tragedy, I think it is a poor compromise. Chinese dramas do have a lot to work on regarding its ending. Time to change the approach that the righteous and capable eventually retire early - if they do, they place the evil and less capable in power. Although in this drama, the alternative to the throne was also capable and righteous, he was obviously less capable. Some dramas try to come up with clever endings but often end up with lousy ones instead.

In spite of some of my negative comments about the story, I would still recommend this drama.

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costume: 8.5
cast; 9
music: 8.5
Story: 8.5

Based on the average I would rate this drama around an 8, (8.6) to be more specific).

This drama has been a hit for me because it's been a while since I've seen a good martial arts fantasy drama. I like the acting very much, with both leads having their looks and acting skills. Yang Yang never fails me with his dramas and I've been looking forward to this one. Zhao Lusi I was a bit concerned that she wouldn't be able to bring out the martial arts heroine but to my surprise, she did an amazing job bringing out Bai Fengxi.

The costume was good, especially the plain robes of both Hei Fengxi and Bai Fengxi in the martial world. I also like the difference in their clothing when they switched from being in the martial arts world vs. their political court affairs.

Song Unpallared, at the beginning of the intro, had a good beat for a martial arts show like this.

The storyline was catchy in my opinion and had my attention. Though there was a lot of politics there was also a lot of action which is what I'd like to see. There were also times when a few romance scenes popped up making me want to ship, their ship name basically "Hei Feng Bai Xi" even more. The last few episodes leading up to the ending seemed a bit rushed and there were just too many things happening but I did like how the beginning episodes from 1-10 led me in. From my perspective, I didn't really like the ending for some reason. I don't really know why.

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season 2 please

i just love the cast, story & overall of it, super love it. Godbless and prayerfully for season 2 if possible.Love you all
i just love the cast, story & overall of it, super love it. Godbless and prayerfully for season 2 if possible.Love you all
i just love the cast, story & overall of it, super love it. Godbless and prayerfully for season 2 if possible.Love you all
i just love the cast, story & overall of it, super love it. Godbless and prayerfully for season 2 if possible.Love you all
i just love the cast, story & overall of it, super love it. Godbless and prayerfully for season 2 if possible.Love you all

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