Who Rules the World (2022)

Interesting Start and Finish, but Slump in Between

This show started off pretty interesting - with two characters in the martial arts world. It became less about martial arts and more about political power struggle. Somewhere in the middle it dragged with the evil stepmother scheming in Yongzhou. I would’ve rated it lower if it kept going the way it was. I kept watching just because it was something to do and sometimes you just stick through it, but certain episodes just ended at moments where I didn’t really feel compelled to binge forward.

That being said, I think by the time I got to episode 34 it was worth the payoff. I laughed out loud at the bitch slapping.

One other point of hilarity is that the main antagonist gets to roam around freely and no one suspects a damn thing for the longest time. Every time he showed up on screen I laughed at his shifty eyes and how NO ONE got it until the last quarter of the series. In fact the female lead almost dies because her dumb sworn sister blames her for something our grand master antagonist in plain view does.

The female lead was a strong bad ass, so that was a plus. The side characters don’t really get much of an ending - it’s all about Hei-Bai Fengxi. That being said, I really liked Feng Chang and wished he had some sort of concluding send off scene.

All in all, the show was entertaining despite the dragging middle.

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Realistic development of romance, great chemistry, impressive fight sequences

This was an impressive romantic wuxia. Yang Yang and Zhao Lu Si had chemistry onscreen. It's undeniable that they had fun shooting this series. Since I didn't let bad press influence my decision to watch, I thoroughly enjoyed it in the way it was intended. As much as I appreciated the storyline, there was a slight disconnect with how the 4 main characters failed to show that they knew each other since childhood. It was also noticeable how many changes the script underwent. I have watched it many times now that I see the errors in the directorship. It was well cast and the acting was superb overall. No one was overt or exaggerated in their actions. The action sequences were impressive. I loved it when FL properly used the ax kick to deter the bully. I enjoyed the comedic rapport both main leads had with each other. This is a story where both main leads fell in love with each other slowly and supported each other in times of pain and sorrow. I love the differences in the dynamics of family in the 5 royal families. For Xi Yun, PmXie Yue and Lord of Qingzhou, they were extremely close and tight knit. For Lan Xi, Ju, Chang, Madame Bai Li and Lord of Yongzhou, it was full of intrigue, in fighting, sabotage, distrust, plotting and jealousy. Lan Xi and his half brother Chang were evidently close. I loved how the birds of prey were used at crucial points in the series. Yang Yang's acting prowess was seen when his facial expressions were sublime and not overt because it fit the character. In the scenes where his emotions, sorrow and suffering needed to be expressive, it was. I hope he gets nominated and wins an award. Yang Yang deserves it. I felt his absence when Bai Feng Xi was going thru her emotional challenges. When Feng Lan Xi went thru his emotional and physical challenges, Bai Feng Xi was seen supporting him. I think there appeared to be a rewrite at this juncture. I believe the director had problems with a few scenes because it was evident who dropped the ball. Overall, it was exceptional because the actors made it believable. The fight sequences were impressive.

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Watch this for the chemistry between the main leads

I had never seen Yang Yang’s dramas before, and Zhao Lu Si, though I had seen her in two or three dramas before, I always felt her dramas were either a hit or a miss for me because I tended to have that ‘trying to be funny, but actually not funny at all’ feeling when I watched her acting.

However, this drama made me take a different look at her. She had great acting here, in fact I was most impressed with her among all the leads. I think she really did her best. She acted as Bai Feng Xi, a legendary martial artist wandering in the martial arts world in disguise, but was actually the only daughter of the King of the Qing state. She was good in martial arts, intelligent, resilient, spontaneous, fuss-free and would heartily enjoy a meal any time. Zhao Lu Si was a natural in such a role. I liked her character here. In fact, Bai Feng Xi had become one of the female characters in historical dramas I admired after watching this drama.

Her chemistry with Yang Yang was amazing, one of the best couples I enjoyed seeing in Chinese historical dramas and because of this chemistry, both carried the show to top notch. They were totally comfortable with each other and I love watching such dramas. As Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi, they were on par in terms of intelligence and martial arts skills and complemented each other perfectly. There was no damsel in distress in need of saving, rather, they saved each other from dangers all the time. This was almost rare in any historical dramas. I enjoyed their interactions so much that I put other dramas on hold and looked forward to every episode during its airing period.
If I were to name a reason to recommend this drama, it would be the sizzling chemistry between the main leads.

Yang Yang acted as Hei Feng Xi, another legendary martial artist, who set up House of Jade and Fountain of Abode, an information network with branches all over Dadong Empire behind his family’s back. This was supposed to be his disguise. He was in fact Feng Lan Xi, the second prince of the Yong state. I really enjoyed seeing Yang Yang as Hei Feng Xi more than Feng Lan Xi. He looked better when his face was thinner and longer with fringe and a ponytail. I have to give kudos to the stylists for doing an amazing job when styling him in both characters. They looked so different that I thought they were two people from the trailers at first.

As for the acting of the rest of the cast, I would say there were good and bad, but at least those who did not act particularly well had little scenes. Special mention to the two who acted exceptionally well were Feng Qi Wu played by Xuan Lu and Huang Chao played by Lai Yi.

This drama had a bit of everything. Romance, martial arts fighting, palace schemes, war battles. The martial arts fighting scenes in the first 15 or so episodes were impressive, the kind that you want to hold your breath watching. Quite a bit of ‘flying around’ scenes, but I personally enjoyed watching them because they were gracefully done.

After 15 episodes or so, we had the palace scheming and then the war battles in the last few episodes. There were some martial arts fighting in the last few episodes or so, but were not as impressive as the first 15 ones.

Romance between the main leads was slow burn, but it was not so slow that you would feel nothing was happening. I enjoyed the development from their good rapport with each other, to gradual liking, love, marriage and above all, unconditional sacrifices for the other half.

What was refreshing to me was that the romance during the development stage did not have the usual tropes that I have seen in so many Chinese historical dramas such as rolling down the hill together, one landing on top of the other, locking eyes for a moment, female lead falling in the arms of the male lead, etc. This drama did not have all of these. The only cliché scene was the mouth-to-mouth medicine-feeding. I thought this drama would not have any of such romance cliché scenes, but well, when the scene came on, it was a small blemish. Was that really the only way to feed medicine to an unconscious person?

And commenting about the ending, without giving any spoilers, I would say that it was not the most ideal, but an almost ideal ending to any romance in a historical drama to me.

Finally, about what I did not like about the drama.
The special visual effects created using computer software such as animals in the hunting game, the ship on water, etc. all looked fake, this was usual in most Chinese historical dramas, I have seen before even more fake-looking ‘ship on water’ scenes in other dramas and that particular scene in this drama was not a major one so not much of a big deal.

The palace schemes were rather predictable and repetitive and the last 10 episodes were rushed, everything seemed to be happening fast and randomly with scenes cut. And when you have scenes cut, illogicality often sets in.

The battle scenes in the last few episodes were not the best, an experienced general of an army troop could be so easily killed with a mere few strokes of the sword and so-called ‘divine army’, purposely trained and had specialized war equipment looked like few packs of tofu in the battlefield, so easily swashed off with one stroke of the sword at one go. These are just two examples.

You could definitely feel that they wanted to do away with unnecessary scenes and end within 40 episodes.

Furthermore, there were comments that the palace plots seemed to be plagiarized from the drama, Royal Nirvana which I have not watched so I have no comments on that, but the palace schemes were nowhere creative, I was only impressed by Feng Lan Xi’s brilliance in always managing to plan a step ahead of his haters and then there were comments that the last episode had scenes reminiscent of dramas, Ten Miles of Peach Blossom and Princess Wei Young. I have watched these two dramas before and yes, when I saw the scenes, I could not help but be reminded of what I saw before. Not that the scenes affected the story in any way, but points deducted for originality.
Was this the result of having two amateur directors who could not think of new ideas? (The original director left with the scriptwriter halfway through the filming, according to rumors.)

All in all, despite the flaws of this drama, it was, without a doubt, a very pleasant watch for me. I looked forward to seeing Bai Feng Xi and Hei Feng Xi every episode, simply because the dynamics between them made this drama worth-watching. I do not usually mention about re-watch value in drama reviews unless there is really value in doing so and for this drama, yes, I will re-watch the scenes of the main leads and only those scenes. (In fact, I was already doing so when the drama was airing.)

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Basically McDonalds, but I'm kind of loving it?

OVERALL
This drama is fast food. It's cheap but it also tastes good, so it's an easy watch. Give it a try if 1) you're looking for a cute love story without any of the annoying clichés, 2) you like political intrigues, 3) you like free and capable female leads. If you 1) can't stand huge plot flaws or excessive CGI, 2) hate Chinese fantasy, 3) are in search of sizzling chemistry, then I recommend skipping.

THE STORY
I have to start by saying that I write fiction and I study fiction. That's my job. Some people can watch dramas without caring about the quality of the plot, I can't. Coming in to Who Rules The World with that background, this drama really isn't that great. People die when convenient, don't die when not convenient. People are sick one moment, and standing healthy the next. People want something the whole time, only to give up on it when it suits the plot. The drama is just full of inconsistencies and cheap writing, I couldn't take it seriously. The CGI (special effects) is also excessive and fake-looking, which might not be an issue for some but for me really pulls me out of the story, and the ending is a let down. It's too easy, too convenient, too incoherent.

That being said, I binged the first half of this drama and watched the second half religiously, so it's not THAT bad either. What saves it is a strong and likeable female lead (I just can't with the childish FLs C-dramas throw at us all the time), a nice male lead (I also can't with the misogynistic MLs so he's much appreciated), and the love story between the two that develops slowly and feels natural. I liked the representation of women in general in this drama, which is very progressive. The political intrigue is also quite nice, and I think part of the reason why I pulled through was to see what would happen. I almost wish this had been a historical rather than a wuxia drama, I think it would have helped avoid lots of problems with writing and production.

The bottom line is: watch it...if you can. It's nowhere near my best drama list, but it is definitely a top-tier filler.

THE ACTING
I like Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang. I don't think they're amazing actors, I just like them, so I had no problem with their acting. Not much chemistry between them, but they were still cute together.

THE MUSIC
What music? I guess it wasn't bad haha

REWATCH VALUE
Average. I might rewatch it at some point in the future...or I might prefer rewatching Story of Minglan, Rebel Princess or Nirvana in Fire for the nth time. There're just better dramas out there.

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This show wouldn’t have been anything without the leads chemistry and popularity.

Like the title says, this show wouldn’t have been anything without the leads chemistry and popularity….and I’m saying this as a big fan of Yang Yang and Lu Si’s works.

Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate this show and I did enjoy it…well at least until the last few episodes but if I’m being honest, the plot itself was mediocre at best.
I came for the fighting, the Wuxia, the martial arts and was served politics. At best this show should be labelled political not Wuxia. I can count on my fingers the amount of times they ACTUALLY used their martial arts.

I’m so pissed at the fact that the title of the show suggests we’d be getting some epic war/battles but all we got was bad CGI fights and covered up battle scenes (if you’ve watched it you know what I mean). I wanted some epic fight scenes with both leads fighting together and using their martial arts against others but unfortunately we weren’t served that.
Hei-Bai Fengxi was goals. Loved their unfailing trust and love they had for each other. Loved the way they both silently supported the other.
Loved their aides especially Qi Wu and Feng Chang.

So many things were so inconsistent in this show, like the search of that token that started the whole show, the sacred moon technique they acquired from Old Man Taiyin that ended up not being used, the fountain abode that was suddenly forgotten to be used in the last few episodes, the smarts of our leads that were thrown into the wind to fit in the plot in the last 3 ish episodes…

I don’t want to go too into depth with this review because then I’d have to put some massive spoilers so I’ll just leave you with this checklist, do as you may with it.

Self sacrificing love ✅
Smart ass and bad ass FL ✅
Loyal af aides ✅
Epic Sismance ✅
No love triangles ✅
Amazing chemistry ✅

Inconsistencies ✔️
Rushed ending ✔️
Plot with holes ✔️
Smart ass leads who somehow lost their brains in the last episodes ✔️
Loss of loved ones whose deaths became a joke with how easily the villain died ✔️



So in other words, Watch this if you’re looking for Fine ass Yang Yang and pretty af Lu Si with amazing chemistry together and a pretty good romance.

Don’t watch this if you’re looking for well…Wuxia”

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Rushed Ending!

Who Rules The World (且试天下) is one of the most anticipated Chinese historical dramas for the first half of 2022. Starring Yang Yang and Zhao Lu Si, it is a given that this production will attract a lot of attention as the 2 leads have a big following among fans. The general expectation is this should be a great drama and it is directed by Yin Tao whose projects include Ancient Love Poetry and Love And Redemption. But does the drama match up to the hype or is it a disappointment for the viewers? Let’s take a look at my review of Who Rules The World below.

Who Rules The World starts quite well with good and consistent pacing throughout… until you hit the last few episodes. This is where you will get time jumps and rapid events that culminate in a rushed ending. It gives you the feeling that they should be more scenes but they are snipped off to wrap this up in 40 episodes. The choppy editing is also highly noticeable now and then which is very uncharacteristic of a high-budget production. Fortunately, the story still flows coherently despite the poor scene transition at times. At most, they are annoying but you will still be able to follow the plot as it moves along.

The ending also may not be satisfying to everyone. It is understandable but certainly not ideal. To me, it could have been better written since they have decided not to stick to the novel’s version anyway. The ending leaves me perplexed because of the way the person becomes the new Emperor. It renders all the wars fought and soldiers lost meaningless when both camps know the other will also be a good ruler. It is like a gaping plot hole to me when both sides don’t see each other as evil. So, why fight in the first place, right?

Is It A Great Wuxia Drama?
I don’t see Who Rules The World as a particularly great wuxia drama. The fighting scenes are watchable at the beginning but the over-reliance on CGI towards the end is laughable. The wuxia element is not on par with dramas like Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre 2019 whereby the fighting moves are better choreographed with a classic scene that is worth re-watching.

In contrast, Who Rules The World is also peppered with fighting scenes but none stands out and compels you to rewatch. However, it is still better than Legend Of Fei, with a slightly more powerful performance by Zhao Lu Si. I think if the producer has largely kept to the standards at the beginning, this drama would leave a more lasting impression in the wuxia genre. Unfortunately, what sticks in my mind when the drama ends is the last fighting scene between the protagonists and the villain in Episode 40. It is anti-climatic and simplistic with superman-like flying scenes resembling a Western superhero movie rather than a wuxia drama. Hence, I doubt if Who Rules The World could satisfy serious wuxia drama fans. You will probably be disappointed if you expect more powerfully orchestrated fights. But if you want romance and court politics, this might be your cup of tea.

Romance Plus Politics Plot
Who Rules The World doesn’t have a tightly focused plot. It starts with a missing token that gives legitimacy to the ruler. Just when you think the story is about the fight for the token, it leaves that aside and starts straying heavily into court politics, war, and romance which have nothing to do with the token. The whole plot is more about the protagonists’ journey as they handle one problem after another in the male lead’s fight for succession against his younger brother and stepmother. And in the process, they naturally fall in love which is where a large part of the focus is as well.

So, I think this should delight romance drama fans. The political side of things may become a bore to some though with the typical schemings of a half-sibling and his mother in the quest to become the heir which I guess you could skip if you want to. This production is not a detailed strategy drama like Nirvana In Fire Season 1. Neither does it have the excitement of flushing out the villain as The Wind Blows From Longxi. Instead, it is just a story of a couple who is thrown together by circumstances with court politics interwoven into their adventure.

Chemistry
Is the chemistry between Zhao Lu Si and Yang Yang good? Yes, definitely! But is it superb? Well, not exactly to me. Suffice to say that they do look like a pair of lovers who are deeply in love with each other which gives credence to their on-screen romance. So, chances are you will find their interactions pleasurable. While there is enough chemistry for viewers to feel the romantic vibes, I don’t think it is sizzling enough for me to replay their scenes either. They lack that extra degree of love and passion in their body language to make their scenes together truly engaging.

In terms of acting, I think Rosy Zhao Lu Si shines in her role in Who Rules The World. She is certainly getting better with each subsequent drama and taking on more challenging projects like the one in The Long Ballad. In a way, the role of Bai Feng Xi suits her well as she is a free-spirited character with a bit of badass attitude which is akin to the one she played in The Romance Of Tiger And Rose.

As for Yang Yang, he gives Hei Feng Xi an elegant and graceful personality. He has also shown much improvement since the days of Love 020. Although he appears a little stiff at times in Who Rules The World, the emotional scenes are still well done and hit the right spots to make viewers root for him.

My Verdict – Deserves A Watch
Who Rules The World has a few noticeable flaws but the great first half makes you hooked to the story. Therefore, you will sit through it to the end anyhow. I just get the feeling that the first half is better executed with a higher production quality compared to the second which seems to degenerate into an average drama. This includes the CGI effects as well as the martial arts choreography. Perhaps this is the consequence of having different people being involved in the production as there were news reports that the director and screenwriter quit halfway through the project.

The cast did a great job despite the production problems and this helped to overshadow the choppy editing and plot holes. As such, the drama becomes watchable and engaging and deserves our support especially if you are a fan of the leads. The story itself is easy to follow and coherent. It is a pretty relaxing watch for a historical drama with court politics as part of the plot unlike Sword Snow Stride and Stands By Me which require much closer attention.

For this Who Rules The World review, I would give it a score of 8/10. It falls short with an underwhelming and anti-climatic ending. With the big budget which can be seen from the costumes, location settings, and the number of extras, I think they could have done a better job overall to make the story more compelling. Watch it for the romance rather than the wuxia elements. I think that is the main selling point of this drama and it succeeds in that aspect to make it a satisfying watch for the viewers despite the weaknesses.

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My first drama of Zhao Lusi.. since then I love her even more!❤️❤️❤️

*** Spoiler Alert (PERSONAL FEEDBACK)
Title : Who Rules The World – 2022 (Complete 40 Episode)
Personal Rating : 9/10

My first drama of Zhao Lusi.. since then I love her even more..

Feng Lan Xi (Played by Yang Yang) is handsome, sickly second price of Yongzhou (pretends to be sick) and one of the famous “Four Gentleman”. He has a hidden identity name Hei Fengxi who is handsome, elegant, smart, and head of Fountain of Abode.
Feng Xiyun (Played by Zhao Lusi) is the only princess of Qingzhou and first love of Feng Lan Xi. She has also a hidden identity name Bai Fengxi. She is unrestrained, Disciple of Tian Shuang Sect and known to have an unparalleled beauty & martial art skill in martial world.

Hei Fengxi and Bai Fengxi are known to the martial arts world by the Hei-Bai Fengxi. "Hei" and "Bai" as in black and white, they are also like light and shadow who are inseparable. They are the greatest rivals and best companions.

The story is all about politics. Literally like who will rule the world or who will be the head of the Da Dong Empire. It starts from the news that the Imperial Token is lost and whoever obtains it, can claim to be the next emperor. In the martial world, an ancient evil sect thought defeated, resurfaces after a century bringing destruction to the kingdoms and the people. Then it’s all chaos afterwards. hahaha.. as Hei-Bai Fengxi are known in the martial world, they join hands, seeking justice and restoring calm to the chaos world. Of course, opposites attract and while they’re doing all they can to bring peace, they end up falling in love with each other too. (but I think Hei Fengxi fell first).

Overall, WRTW is one of the best Wuxia dramas for me. I like how Hei Feng Xi and Bai Feng Xi are equally created. They are both strong, they can save each other, and they keep that throughout the show. I love the romance part too. It was so pure and mature. There are no immature outbursts or jealousy. They are portrayed as partners / companion/ best friends than lovers. I watched this drama more three times. And for me it’s a happy ending.

GENRE – Costume, Romantic, Comedy, Wuxia, Politics

CAST – Yang Yang , Zhao Lusi

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Who cares who rules the world give me more romance

Well this was long... And had something, old, something new and a whole lot of stuff that were borrowed from other dramas like it. Which is fine, but did get draggy at times.

The leads and their friendships are lovely from start to finish, even the hints of love geometry are dealt with in a nice way as our female lead is just so cool. There is however quite a bit that is left unexplored and other parts that seem to be never ending. There are a lot of conspiracies and metal sounding fighting scenes that just got to be to much. So honestly I could not care lees who would actually rule the world by the end of it.

The romance has some interesting twits as well as some really sweet dynamics. To be honest I would have wanted more bickering and more screen time for the process, and more sweetness between the two. So what I got of the two was a pleasure for the ear and eye. But honestly the romance as lovely as it may be was pushed aside for a mediocre political story instead.

Do I recommend it, sure as I said the leads are lovely, and those who love this type of power-struggle dramas this is as good a pick as any other one of these.

I may write more here tomorrow but that will be all for now.

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The dream duo

Is it just me or you can never go wrong with Lu Si and Yang Yang. I've aways loved watching their dramas and putting them together in one drama is like a dream come true. Love the story, love the acting and definitely the costume.

As per usual, I'll list down the things I love and the things I wish could have been done differently.

Things I love:
1. The chemistry between the main characters. It's as though they are written for each other. Both have double identities, both are from royalty, both great with martial arts, both have the same perspective when it comes to people of their country and both have a loyal group of people, willing to die for them. Their personalities, though slightly different, perfectly match each other.

2. Yu Wu Yuan. If you're looking for a villain that is extremely smart, good looking, skilled and pure evil, here's your perfect villain. I see a lot of comments about how Bai-Hei Feng Xi couldn't figure out that he's evil until late into the story, but that's exactly YWY's plan and he executed it perfectly. To be honest, put yourself in their shoes. You have a gazillion things on your plate - fire in your own backyard, enemies from other states - would you have the time to suspect the reputable, number 1 gentleman of the world? Besides, Feng Lanxi has always been suspicious of YWY and had people checking into his background. Would it be fun though, if he had found out so easily?

3. Gender equality. I like that element in this drama. Despite being based in ancient times, I like how they put a spotlight on women and their capabilities in politics. Starting from Feng Qiwu being an important minister in Yongzhou to Bai-Hei Fengxi being kings of their respective states, equal in power. This drama proves that there is no need to weaken men while glorifying women - both genders can be equal.


Things I wish can be done differently:
1. The one element that annoyed me most in the drama is Tianshuang, especially the sifu and Lang Hua. Honestly, other than Han Pu, I find the rest of them very pointless. Multiple times, you see plans spoilt because of the lack of trust. The sifu did not trust that Bai-Hei Fengxi are smart enough to get themselves out of their predicament in Yongzhou, ending up in Lanxi losing his internal power. Lang Hua did not trust Bai Fengxi when she said she did not kill the sifu despite growing up with her and stabbed her, which AGAIN ended up in Lanxi losing his internal power in order to save Bai Fengxi.

2. The ending is somewhat rushed to me. I mean, compared to many dramas I've been watching lately, it is kind of complete. I just wish there is more of the Bai-Hei Fengxi scenes and how their day to day lives turned out after giving up the throne.


BONUS
Satisfying scenes I would replay and replay:
1. The three most satisfying slaps ever shown on drama. When Lanxi slapped Feng Ju in the face three times, while scolding him for being stupid. Couldn't find a better way to execute Feng Ju's humiliation.

2. When Lanxi got pissed after seeing Bai Fengxi injured in the battlefield and went alone to attack Huang Chao. Even when he is being impulsive, he can still get away with it because he seems untouchable with his martial arts.

Would I rewatch this drama? Hell yes. Would I recommend to other people? It's on Netflix, it's not difficult to find places to watch.

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