West Out of the Yu Men (2023)

In the land of the scorpion the rooster is king.

This drama adapts Wei Yu's well loved romantic and suspenseful adventure novel Xī Chū Yù Mén /西出玉门 or West out of the Yumen (Jade Gate). The spirited and mysterious Ye Liuxi's first waking memory is of the desert with scant personal belongings to point to who she was and where she is from. A picture links her to Chang Dong, who lost all he held dear in that same patch of sand. Liuxi persuades Chang Dong to return to that most treacherous part of the desert with her. Together with a team of three others, they set out to crack the mystery of the Yumen Pass. On their quest to face their past, they stumble into a different, frightening and dangerous world where they find love, adventure, friendship and betrayal.

The most fabulous thing about this drama is that Ye Liuxi is a force of nature that simply sweeps you away with her beauty, strength and charisma. It is a role that must have been written for Ni Ni, whose portrayal of Liuxi is nothing short of iconic. Bai Yu's rendition of Chang Dong's quiet might and reserved brilliance is the perfect foil for Liuxi's more vivid personality. Their chemistry is so natural and shockingly scrumptious that I replay most of their couple scenes with a silly, lovesick grin on my face. I now have a whole new appreciation for Bai Yu's hotness. The other two romances are quite cute and endearing but neither is compelling or even necessary. Skipping or toning down one or both of these secondary romances could have helped the pacing of this drama.

The acting, rapport and comedic timing of the main cast is terrific and a heavier focus on their friendship over romance would have been no less enjoyable. It was a lot of fun to watch them humorously pull off their clone geminus selves. It is nice to see Jin Han in his element again as a misguided and flawed character. Lu Yuxiao makes an impression again as a young actor to watch. I also found both Gao Shen and Ding Liu's kick ass youthful exuberance a joy to watch. Sadly Meng Ziyi is the biggest let down in the cast. Long Zhi is an interesting role, a character with a world vision and the ruthlessness to achieve it. Sadly Meng Ziyi delivers a shallow and uninspired interpretation with two expressions - stone-faced and pissed off. She manages to turn a layered character into a cardboard and archetypal one. I used to wonder why such a lovely and charming actor didn't get more lead roles. Now I know.

Where this drama falters is in the pacing and narrative style. The transitions between sub-plots are not well handled with abrupt cuts to a side romance or worse, the narrator and the painter in the middle of action scenes or as momentum is building nicely into an interrupted reveal. The world within the Yumen Pass itself is well designed, rich in history and lore and occupied by dangerous and fascinating characters. The world building mostly takes place via exposition and usually right before the viewer needs that information. This kind of heavy foreshadowing diminishes the surprise factor in what comes next. This also comes with few pay-offs; in the end all I really needed to know is that in the land of the scorpion the rooster is king.

Even though this drama wraps up nicely with no major loose ends, the ending is anti-climatic. With one notable exception, most characters have fitting endings. However, the climax on the action adventure side takes place very early in the drama and the main romance peaks shortly after the mid-point. After that, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and the plot seems to build towards a final, badass showdown that doesn't quite materialise. The writers decided it is better to jaw jaw than to war war which would be fine if this weren't a fantasy action adventure. I am also miffed that my thirst for justice and symmetry that demands some serious loss of limbs is not satisfied, nary a hair was even harmed! I console myself with the fact that the roosters once again show the scorpions who is the boss!

This is a must watch drama for just Ni Ni and Bai Yi's acting and chemistry alone. If anyone else were in the lead roles, I would only rate this an 8.0/10.0 but I am bumping my rating up to an 8.5 to recognize their riveting performances.

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Indiana Jones has a love child with Laura Croft in the 5th dimension

By rights this show should be a hit because the leads are superb actors and who doesn’t like an adventure romp.

They have oodles of charisma, and their chemistry will keep a house warm in the dead of winter. There is a catch though. The world building in the first half of the show is problematic.

It leads us into a fantastic parallel world, but it also left us with more questions than answers. On the surface, the parallel world is unique and interesting, but it is like the shifting sand our leads travel through. It is an unstable base to build a civilisation if you don’t create some solid foundations. There are plot holes and inconsistencies galore. It was okay in small doses but as the plot deepens, it begs more questions. The show ploughs on regardless. It is not until ep.20 when we finally get a long winded exposition on how the world came about but even then, it was more a history lesson than any practical information.

Here lies the fundamental problem with this show. To sustain the fantastic setting the writer used every trick in the book. It is closer to a xianxia drama with cars than a contemporary adventure a la Tomb Raiders. This means all kinds of magical macguffins and invented lore are used to sustain the narrative.

This is a double-edged sword. It allows access to all kinds of wondrous situations, but you can tie yourself in knots if you don't have a deft hand. The protagonist needs a flying horse to get out of a tight spot? There is one grazing right there! The antagonist needs an evil doppelganger? There's one in the bag. Sometimes it can feels like cheating.

It is no surprise that the plot gets more and more convoluted as the show progressed. Is it class struggle, power play, love triangle or historical feud? It is raining revelations, expositions and flashbacks in the second half. Some are true, others are red herrings and false memories. We don't have a clear picture until the last few episodes.

End do cometh to us all. As ending goes, it is serviceable, but it feels flat. The resolution doesn’t make a lot of concrete sense. Yes, one side won but how this can leads to eternal peace is more than a bit vague. It is too facile. We are then told the whole show is just a richly embellished fable even though the characters are driving modern cars and using cellphones. Also hinting that the HEA ending is just our wishful thinking. Nice. Did the writer just gave up?

Nevertheless, kudos to the production team and ensemble actors for their dedication as shooting on location must have been a real challenge. The desert landscape is harsh but starkly beautiful. Who needs CGI when nature provide something that eclipse our imaginations.

In the end, it is a rollicking escapist romp. It is action packed, cheesy, tense and swoon worthy but it also has a lot of world building issues and plot holes. I would have stayed for the leads alone but it does test my patience at times. You really need to switch off your frontal lobe to truly enjoy this show. Beers and pizzas help too. Peace out.

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Great Adventure, Chemistry, both Roosters were the MVPs!

What first drew me to the drama was its tomb-raidery vibe and MZY. I knew two other actors from previous series, granted it had been nearly 4 years since seeing Jin Han in my first ever cdrama, so it was good to have him on screen again. This had great adventure, awesome chemistry between the leads (normal, adult kissing! Rare find in a cdrama nowadays), and those roosters were the real MVPs!

Pros: This will probably be the first drama ever where the livestock comes in line one of the pros if anywhere at all; but those roosters were great for both comedic purposes as well as being ridiculously smart and helpful. Loved how the first several episodes were built around creating the characters and building their world. The chemistry between the two leads was from the moment they met and it felt real as you'd expect between two adults regardless if this had supernatural or other elements. Their conversation in the closet about cooking one of the roosters when it spied on them and then ran was hysterical.

Ni Ni is absolutely gorgeous and you obviously have to get over that but it quickly becomes apparent that she's also one hell of an actress. BY is also quite good as the traumatized yet exceptionally intelligent desert guide. When they combine, this power couple of brains and brawn in reverse, they can outsmart just about everyone. Their 3 sidekicks who go with them into the desert and then later the two that they meet in the pass all do their part and are quite convincing; my least favorite was Fei Tang in the beginning but I liked his maturity evolution. I'm glad they all lived at the end though Gao Shen's life was forever changed and our FL was the bionic woman scorpion queen.

I have to talk about the gorgeous scenery inside the pass especially the many moons in the sky. This is a particularly favorite aesthetic of mine so I was always pleased when they spent time outside in the desert there. But everything from the CGI to the OSTs were on point in this drama. The stories told within the pass were so great too.

Even though I had originally wanted to watch this drama for MZY, not knowing what her role would be, her character falls in both the pros and cons for me. She started off as being what an antagonist should be; ruthless, though her motive was yet unclear, the beginning was good. She was a good spy and her initial start was good. Also liked how she had several plans going at once to win (the Chang Dong heartstring thing, the fake Gao Shen plant). The rest I'll talk about in the cons.

The real tragic character here was Jiang Zhan played by Jin Han. At first he was thought to be an antagonist because he was on Long Zhi's side trying to kill FL. But when it was revealed that she had cast a spell on him and the pain he had to go through when the memories came flooding back, he chose to take his own life, but the witch didn't allow that, then he was forced to live like a dog as her hostage. Finally with YLX's win, when he was finally free, he realized the cost of that freedom and he went out on his own terms because as he said, they couldn't go back to the past. He always felt he was weak and now he'd (though not by choice) betrayed the only woman he'd ever loved, there was no real way out for him. It was acted really well and you felt for him.

Cons: Quite a few things bugged me here; for starters the randomness of the old man storyteller and painter characters. The way they were flung into the series broke the already unsteady pace of the show due to its bizarre schedule. Yes, it was done supposedly due to censorship but it was unnecessary because no one in their right mind would go running to the desert to try to open a dimension. Even if people were to believe in that, at the beginning of each episode it specifically says the show is pure fiction.

Where the character of Long Zhi went downhill was her actual motive which though was about power and jealousy, it seemed quite childish and unbelievable. The character after the initial peak constantly sported a 15 year old 'tude. During the stand off between her and YLX with Scorpion Eye and the giant scorpion, it seemed like LZ herself lost all of her ruthlessness and kept clutching at her clothing as she was trying to order the gang to kill YLX. If you looked at the differences between her and YLX, you could almost switch their characters. YLX was unyielding and her stare could grind one into bits. I feel that maybe this role was a bit too hard for MZY. Personally, first time seeing her in an antagonist role. She lost all of LZ's ruthlessness in the second part of the end.

Also what played against her was the fact that the ending was super anticlimactic. Great build up to a fight or war that never happened. All the big fights were either in flashbacks or somewhere in the middle. It was basically send all of the exotic creatures away with the big snake giving the orders, and then have Scorpion Eye just blow some Feathered Guards up and capture them without much muss or fuss. Then they all sit at the negotiation table to save Chang Dong and go for a life of peace and prosperity for the next 3 years. Everyone lives and reunites but we get the couples in the painter's mind's eye with Gao Shen actually becoming a puppet to save his life and DL as cartoon forms together being the new transporters in and out of the pass. They couldn't even get a normal ending. These are the reasons this otherwise great drama got an 8.5/10.

Would I recommend it? Yes, if only for the leads chemistry, the smart as hell roosters, and the story itself. This is a very different kind of drama than what I've seen and despite the cons, I enjoyed it a lot.

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A fantasy-adventure that sucks you in like quicksand

… into an immersive, highly creative world that could easily inspire fanfiction.

Ni Ni breathes life into Ye Liuxi’s character, an amnesiac seeking answers to her identity and past. Ni Ni’s charisma and on-screen presence is undeniable--an explosive force to be reckoned with. Bai Yu plays her level-headed counterpart, Chang Dong, a mature and intelligent guide haunted by disaster and loss. Sparks fly when they’re together. Along the way, more characters join them and add a touch of humor and absurdity.

The initial episodes introduce the characters and the world slowly but surely. Viewers begin to learn about the fantasy world along with Ye Liuxi as clues lead her to Chang Dong, then into the desert, and finally through Yumen Pass and into the parallel world. The secondary world is so incredibly rich and imaginative that it left me eagerly anticipating what else the writer could conjure. From salt monsters and shadow puppet gnats to a saran wrapping anti-theft guardian, it’s a trove brimming with creativity that would delight any fantasy lover.

Unfortunately and perhaps in an attempt to appeal to a general audience, there’s a fair amount of hand-holding to introduce the fantastical elements, mainly through a token but beloved character--a sorcerer--that conveniently info dumps. Not only does this hinder the pacing, but it also robs viewers the opportunity to see this new world unfold more organically.

The show also botches two crucial elements: the villain and the climax. The final act deflates like a balloon and missed opportunities abound. While loose ends are resolved, they’re done in an underwhelming fashion. Long Zhi, played by Meng Ziyi, could have been a truly formidable villain but instead comes across as a hollow shell and an empty promise … partly because of MZY’s acting and partly because of the role. There’s also no true final confrontation between Long Zhi and Ye Liuxi, which could’ve been a battle for the ages between two fierce females.

This drama had the potential to be truly epic and left me yearning for what could’ve been, especially since censorship issues may have hindered the show. Criticisms aside, if you’re unsure about watching, please give it a shot and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by all the hidden gems this show has to offer.

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Good Story Limp Storytelling

Ni Ni and Bai Yu helm the deck in action adventure story as they steer a ragtag team into a raging world of secrets lurking on the other side of the legendary Yumen Pass which connects to the Silk Road. It's sand (lots of it), sorcery and sleight of hand as Ye Liuxi (Ni Ni) and Chang Dong (Bai Yu) navigate an alien environment with pals Fatty, Ding Liu and Gao Shen to solve the 2-year-old mystery of the Camelia expedition. At the start of this tale Chang Dong is haunted by the deaths of his fiancee and 17 others who died in a freak sandstorm while he's the sole survivor. Along comes a mysterious woman calling herself Ye Liuxi who is keen to find out who she is and why she's not dead despite being hung out to dry in the desert. Tagging along is Fei "Fatty" Tang who wants in on the action because his antique business back home isn't doing all that well. He's looking for that big score. Ding Liu jumps on the bandwagon on the behest of her godfather a mob boss and Gao Shen is her bodyguard.

My first advice is to watch this knowing as little as possible. My second to all who dare venture in to persevere through the first 10 episodes because there is a treasure trove waiting on the other side of all that sandscape. More or less. To my mind a fair chunk of the first 10 episodes are an indulgent waste of television oxygen but it does provide some useful clues that lead to some "aha" moments later. I imagine that this is why the show is unlikely to have broad appeal. .

Aside from the interactions between the leads, the plot is perhaps the best thing about the show. From what I've heard, the story gains its inspiration from the popular Tomb Notes series with more than a few nods here and there to its predecessor. The world building is creative with quite an extensive lore to wade through. The leads and their expanding entourage get the lion's share of development while the show's primary antagonist seem like a cookie cutter entitled second female lead than a truly menacing adversary. I have more than a few issues with how she's written and the amount of power conferred on her in the script. Not to mention that Ni Ni's experience and charisma overshadows that of her drama nemesis.

Further on the negative side the show suffers the same types of problems that most C dramas do. While the secondary romances are quite appealing they don't add anything to the big story. The show also has a framing device of a sort that seems oddly misplaced unless it's meant to keep the censorship axe at bay. Frankly it doesn't otherwise add much to the narrative. Time could have been much better spent on the resolution which in typical C drama fashion wraps up in haste. This speaks to the start-stop-filler-go pacing. Moreover the showrunners don't really know how to properly adapt the source material to take full advantage of the visual medium. This is my continuing problem with C dramas and the way they handle exposition and foreshadowing. That's why I'm a little ambivalent about the main romance despite the fantastic chemistry between the leads.

All in all it's a decent watch with some missed opportunities especially with regards to the final act where so much is crammed into the last few episodes that aspects of the resolution comes across unearned.

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IMO

This drama had me completely captivated! Despite my usual aversion to scary movies, this one wasn't too intense for me – as long as it didn't involve vampires or zombies, I was on board. Bai Yu, the main lead actor, impressed me with his performance, especially considering his character had no background in martial arts. His portrayal exuded humility, and it marked my first time witnessing his acting prowess.

As for the main lead actress, Ni Ni, she was truly remarkable in her role. Even if she isn't well-versed in martial arts, her acting suggested otherwise – she delivered her character with such finesse. I particularly admired her costumes. The set design and the depiction of the world above the parallel world were nothing short of spectacular. The animations were commendable, and I must give Turkey a high five for the excellent execution, earning a solid 10 rating.

The turtle animations bridging the worlds were a personal favorite, and I found myself contemplating if they were linked to those that disappeared. Admittedly, I did close my eyes quite a bit during the intense moments – it's all part of the experience! The ending was perfect, and my gratitude extends to the writers; the music played a significant role in elevating the overall appeal. Just a side note, snakes and spiders are not my favorite either!

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slow start, solid drama you wont regret watching.

Parallel World (2023 -9/10 -cdrama

ok this drama is different beast. Its not perfect, but still its story and characters makes up for it enough for me to again sacrifice mine sleep to binge it.

Drama got quite slow start. Like you know right from drama name and openings that this story will be about parallel world and magic beasts., but still it takes about whole 10 eps for leads to finally get there. These fist 10 eps are mainly about introducing main leads and their characters, which I think could be done in just 3 eps quite easily. At least these first eps got some basic romance development which made whole romance storyline stand at quite strong base.

Once we get past slow start. We discover whole interesting magic world full of magic beasts. In way I found this drama quite alike to Alchemy of Soul though its more into modern time.

Even though I am not big fan of mystery theme I loved this drama + found alot of mine favourites actors in supporting roles. Time to add few actors I didnt knew of into mine actors I want watch list.

plot - FL wakes up hanging by rope on tree with big memory loss and just few leads about herself in her bag. In search for her identity she gets to ML who was once very well known desert guide,. Sadly for ML 2 years ago he lost 18 peoples in desert together with his fiance, bodies was never found. FL comes to him with photo of his fiance and wants him to guide her into desert in search for her memories and for him its search for bodies.

genre - mystery, romance, thriller, fantasy

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Excellent desert adventure

Parallel World is one of the best desert sands drama, with very good production values in directing, casting, acting, editing, music, cinematography, special effects. Ni Ni's acting performance is exceptional. This is the second drama I seen her in. She and Bai Yu lit up the screen. The other actors did a very good job. Jin Han is one of the best character actors.

Ths Old Man and the Painter's random scenes disrupted the story flow. It might have been better if they were identified as writer and creator of the plot. Long Zhi looked pretty, but she didn't spark as the villain.

Final rating: 8.5

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Sometimes all the pieces fall into place

The performances of the actors, the story, the music and the CGI are all really high quality in this interesting drama.
Ni Ni is simply amazing in this role and Bai Yu's performance is also commendable. In addition, when none of the actors failed in their performance, the result was surprisingly realistic even though the theme and events of the drama are fictitious

The drama completely lacks the common stumbling blocks of a typical c-dramas, i.e. gender chauvinism and naive, childish female characters.

One of the best C-dramas I've seen and I hope that future C-dramas will develop in this direction.

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Worth it

Loved the drama. Acting of the leads is really good. The only one whose acting never convinced me is Long zhi ( Meng zi yi). Story is good despite little flaws. It is rewatchable for me.
In romance department I can tell why leads fell for each other...they both are great in their own way. Main leads - Chang Dong is really intelligent and with a quick mind and wit. He is calmn, have logical thinking, bit reserved, compassionate , kind and merciful. Ye Liu xi is such a badass character, fearless, smart, bit shameless lol, funny, powerful. When they met I can tell they are compatible. The romance went naturally. They both are brave, decisive, love their bickering and have very comedic wit. Both are the definition of powerful together and felt equal in relationship. For me the relationship is healthy enough and mature. What I liked about them is the communication between them and the way they respect each other, mutual understanding, have good rapport and felt equal.

There are few people in comments said "romance isn't necessary because it doesn't do anything to the story " like seriously !? I respect their opinion but I strongly disagree with this. Romance is significant in main leads. It really helped their development... for chang dong- ye liuxi helped him break his shell and made him better person, as for ye liuxi - Chang dong is the first one to made her soft heartened and because of her love for him made her understand the caring and loving, its only afterwards she began to care about other people in the team because she already understanding love because of chang dong. You can try to say staying with team she would have same result but it is never same, she would have cared but she would never be this soft heartened. The first crack of soft heartened happened only because of her love for chang dong and then she came to realise love and started to become soft heartened and started to care for others in team. All the interactions between the leads is necessary because it shows that how she soft heartened and how she broke his shell. The comfortness and confiding with each other is necessary and it felt natural. There isn't much romance to begin with except for few kisses and in most of the interactions they discuss serious things but through romance and comfortness. It also helped their conflict about the big reveal because they already fell for each other. You can argue it can be platonic ..why it have to be romantic. Every platonic love cannot be romantic love. Maybe because they were already like this even before official relationship except for intimate things, maybe that's why people felt why it need to be romantic, but because of this you can clearly see the difference between how Yu liuxi treats others and how she treats chang dong, this is the difference between platonic and romantic love even before official dating...you can clearly see which one is going to be romantic and how different they treat each other compare to others even before relationship, it really went naturally. For the main lead it really helped and felt natural because it is romantic love, some things cannot be platonic love you know like the love between main leads, there is so much between them and because of the romantic love they became better person. They can be together simply because they love each other. It terms of leads they loved each other, learned so much because of love and they both grew with love and also significant to each other too.

The gang of the leads is good, they all have good rapport and comedy....don't forget the roaster lol. The way they solve the mystery is good. The plot have some flaws but the drama is so enjoyable.

Most pitiful characters are Jiang zhan and Gao shen. I know Jiang zhan character is not gonna end well but I really wished he atleast have reunion with female lead. Despite his painful past and suffering, the character lacked depth. From what I got from the past Jiang zhan is innocent, hardworking, loves female lead, later had brutal strength but that's it. I know even in their past that they were only friends. From what I felt even in friendship female lead overpowered Jiang zhan, they never felt equal. Of course they cared for each other but I can understand why she (female lead ) never fell for Jiang zhan despite years of friendship. Because they are not compatible and not well matched. For me they never had any love potential but have friendship potential.

Second female lead ( Long zhi) loves Jiang zhan and it seems jiang zhan have feelings for her and are in the relationship in the past. But their relationship is really hard, toxic and I never felt connected with them mainly because of Meng yi zhi's (long zhi)acting. Long zhi is interesting and very smart. I really wished they showed Long zhi time in jail and jiang zhan reunion with his friend. I know he is feeling guilty and I always felt he has weak mentality from the beginning, so it felt less surprising for me when he ended his life.

Gao shen life is really pitiful, I wished they showed his life after he became puppet, atleast they have sort of have happy ending.

Fantasy- The mystery and fantasy is good and they balanced very well with pace of the story. The mystery and romance is very balanced to the plot. I'm satisfied. But CGI is not that great.

Story- For me it felt like both leads is starting a new life slowly letting go of their past as the story goes while solving mystery and becoming better person. It is a journey for them. They both made new resolutions as the story goes.

Another thing is - For me it has satisfying ending but if the negotiation happens after the built up fight then it would be great. The Ye liuxi present is changed person , she wanted freedom of her people but not in the cost of so many lives. In the past Ye liu xi is ruthless but in present she really is calm and soft heartened after she met chong dong and their friends. If there is way out of this for a peaceful negotiation then its understandable and I agree with. The fight happened but the fight is not so great. But it have very satisfying ending for me. Another thing is female lead really looked badass and very convincing acting
Totally for me it's a worth of watch. I'm gonna re-watch again

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Buckle up for a mind-bending ride through alternate realities, romance, and mix of magic and action

Parallel World isn't your average Chinese drama. This show takes you on a journey through multiple realities, leaving you questioning everything you know. The special effects are amazing, transporting you to each world with stunning visuals.

But Parallel World is more than just eye candy. The story explores complex themes of love, loss, and identity. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the chemistry between the leads is undeniable. I found myself laughing, crying, and rooting for them the entire time.

Admittedly, the pacing dragged a bit in the middle. I found myself skipping a few scenes. However, the overall story was so engaging that I couldn't stop watching.

Have you dived into the parallel worlds yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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A bizarre sci-fi drama with some interesting special effects. Good acting and the rooster rock.

Parallel World is a weird ancient sci-fi drama produced out of Cdrama.

The Synopsis: A beautiful melon seller, Ye Liu Xi, and a shadow puppet performer, Chang Dong, join forces to venture deep into the desert. One seeks to unravel the mystery of her origins, while the other aims to retrieve the remains of his girlfriend and 17 others who perished under mysterious circumstances. As they encounter numerous anomalies in the uninhabited area, they are led to the weathered and supernatural Yumen Pass. They navigate between the Imperial Guards, Taoist Priests, and the Scorpion-Eyed creatures, unraveling the truth amidst various enigmas and gaining insights into true love through numerous life-and-death experiences. The answers seem within reach but are entangled in an even larger conspiracy. Will the truth and their love prevail?

The acting is good, especially the main CP, played by Bai Yu and Ni Ni. The flow of the story is bizarre as they travel into many dimensions of the parallel worlds. It is interesting to watch; however, I wouldn't say I like the production quality of the drama, where everything is blurred and blue when they travel into a parallel world. It is my biggest complaint about this drama.

The cinematography for this drama is quite good, but why blur the sandman's face? It looks distorted. It is okay, and I like the acting, but I am not sure I will watch this genre in the future. I gave it a 7.5 rating.

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