Shao Nian Bai Ma Zui Chun Feng (2024)

THIS IS THE WORST SERIES EVER. (DESPITE MY 9/10 RATING)

Ok, this was a good drama, not the best but a good one. the acting is good, the vfx, actors, costumes, action everything is good and with a great production but the story will maim you for sure. They use 30 episodes to justify a character and then they just tell that all those reasons are invalid. I mean wtf. This is among the one series where I wanted the villain to defeat the hero.
Now in detail. This is the second part of the blood of youth but chronologically this happens before the first part. Some actors who portrayed their kids return as their fathers in this season(like Langya wang& Mingde Emperor). The story isn’t as complex as The Blood of Youth and most characters are the younger versions of the side characters from The Blood of Youth. The story is told in quite a straightforward way and it isn’t as enthralling as the blood of youth. But you feel so miserable because we know the future of these characters(eg: consort xuan(Yi Wenjun), Ye Dingzhi (Ye Anshi/wuxin’s father), Lord Langya(xiao se’s uncle)). So when you know these characters closely in season two, you kind of feel sad and want to change the future into something else. Season one was an intellectual treat and season two is an emotional treat. Everything about the story is great. not much of a large plot hole. everything kind of co-exist. And the humor in season exists in season two.
Now why I say this is the worst, when it was actually great. Because of the ending. The story kind of emphasizes karma but the wrongs that were committed by the second lead(Ye Yun) are actually justifiable when compared to the wrongs committed toward him. You will also be deeply disappointed in some characters:
i) Xiao Ruofeng ( Langya lord ); this guy was the holy beacon of righteousness and then he deeply disappoints you. But then his death in season one is kind of less agonizing when we hear the backstory
ii) Ye Dingzhi (wuxin’s dad); this guy is supposed to be the worst in season one but then in season two we learn that he is just a broken hero, a fallen angel, and a victim of injustice, and then his death becomes more agonizing and when he fails that hurts even more.
Now should you watch this, yes you should. please watch it This is a great drama. It is a question and a statement at the same time.
‘ are the villains truly villains and are the heroes always right because they stay alongside the so-called righteous path and orthodox way when they are completely filled with hypocrisy, rendering evil within their minds.’

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YOUTH ROMANTICISED

Dashing youth potrays youth as a beautiful, magical and exhilarating time
The most precious and valued thing in this drama is youth
It's discussed and brought up in such a heartwarming manner that leaves viewers captivated by the mere concept of youth.
Even as a youth, I found myself wanting what these characters had in them that gave them such zeal
They faced each day and trial with energy, life and joy
The drama males it a point to show the wonder and sincerity that every youth has, it portrays the Growth of naive children into mature youths all while showcasing the bravery and happiness we all have within us

Every character in this drama is given an independent analysis and leaves a lasting impression on the viewers
They pull our heartstrings with their wholesome stories while taking us along with them on a thrilling adventure
From the very first episode, the themes of friendship,loyalty, strength and youth are portrayed
These themes carry on until the end in a splendid manner
I feel majority of these characters could easily have their own show which too would have been amazing hits
Especially xiao ruofeng

The relationships in this drama are treated with the utmost care and respect
Such as those between masters and disciples, parents and children and friends too
Although romance is mostly a subplot in this drama it is put in enough to satisfy the romance addicts like myself

This is the kind of drama one picks boredom and ends up loving so much they want to watch it again because of their reluctance to let go of this world
From the amazing chi to the cool martial arts to the good story and plot this drama is easily one of the best I have come across
On top of that, it is hilarious
There isn't a single dull moment in the drama
it is a lighthearted comedy that still addresses deep feeling in a professional way

I would not hesitate to recommend this drama to someone in need of some fun

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The Most Exciting Watch of 2024

I followed this show as religiously as I did with “The Blood of Youth”.

Every time I saw characters from the sequel, it seemed to draw me back to the time when the protagonists from the prequel paraded as the older generation, wise and more experienced. So, watching their naive, inexperienced selves was endearing. Celebrated as the Liquor Deity of Xueyue City, the show focuses on Baili Dongjun’s journey from the wayward grandson of the Marquis of Zhenxi to becoming the First City Lord of Xueyue City. Joining him on this sojourn is the dreaded villain of all times, Ye Dingzhi. The show focuses on their decades long friendship and even though, Baili Dongjun stops his descent into demonhood, it doesn’t affect their brotherhood. There are other characters from the sequel whose backstory is explained, like Yi Wenjun, who is Wuxin & Prince Xiao Yu’s mother. There might be many who would wondered why she is confined to her palace in the later years, this show explains the very reason of her lifelong confinement. The detailing is as particular as the sequel, so there is never a dull moment!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/08/17/dashing-youth-series-review/#more-1121

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The Prequel that Did NOT Live Up to the Sequel (TBOY)

Going into "Dashing Youth," I didn't have particularly high expectations, but I was optimistic about enjoying it. The premise of a group of friends embarking on thrilling adventures while navigating the complexities of heroism seemed promising. However, by the time I reached the halfway point, I found myself disappointed and ultimately decided to drop the drama.

What started as an engaging narrative centered on the adventures of Baili Dongjun and his loyal friends quickly took a nosedive when the plot became entirely overshadowed by the romance between Ye Ding Zhi and Yi Wen Jun. This shift in focus felt like a poor choice, sacrificing the story's initial excitement for a love story that, in my opinion, fell flat.

The drama's highlight was undoubtedly the lighthearted and fun friendship between Baili Dongjun and his friends. Their loyalty and unwavering support for one another provided some genuinely enjoyable moments. The camaraderie among the group was refreshing, and it was easy to root for them as they faced various challenges together.

However, the worst aspect of "Dashing Youth" was the romance between Ye Ding Zhi and Yi Wen Jun. For a relationship that was supposed to be gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, I felt nothing. Their love story lacked depth and emotional impact, making it difficult to invest in their relationship. Ye Ding Zhi, who started as a character driven by a powerful desire for revenge, inexplicably abandoned his quest for justice the moment Yi Wen Jun entered the picture. It was frustrating to watch a character with such a strong initial motivation lose sight of his goals for a woman who didn’t seem willing to fight for their love.

Another disappointment was the female lead, Yue Yao. If I remember correctly, in the donghua, she was quite powerful and able to stand on her own. But in the drama adaptation, she is basically there for decoration. As a female lead, she fell flat for me too. I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy her romance with Baili Dongjun; it was just as stale as the other romantic arcs. Overall, I was disappointed in all the romance lines, and I believe the show would have been 100% better if there were no romance or at least very limited romantic involvement.

As for the characters, my favorite thus far was their master, Master Li, also known as Nangong Chun Shui. Like a true master, he was wise, kind, and generous. His love for all his disciples was undoubtedly the best part of the show. He knew when to step in and when to let his disciples figure things out on their own, striking the perfect balance between guidance and freedom.

Another standout character for me was Prince Roufeng, also known as Langya Wang. He is just as wise as his master, Master Li, but with the added perspective of a prince who must consider the greater good of the country. He made some questionable decisions, but if he didn’t, who would? Prince Roufeng seemed to be the only logical one among the main leads, making decisions with a clear head, unclouded by emotional attachment.

In the end, "Dashing Youth" started with potential but lost its way when it prioritized an unconvincing romance over the more compelling elements of its story. While the friendships and certain characters were bright spots, they weren't enough to save the drama from its missteps.

This prequel ultimately fell flat compared to its sequel, The Blood of Youth. I loved The Blood of Youth more because the plot was consistent, the actors did great with their characters, and there was zero to no romance at all. It’s unfortunate that Dashing Youth couldn’t live up to the same standard.

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borrowing fame from blood of youth

this is not similar to blood of youth.
characters show up too many from start.
main screen character from episode 1 disappear.

ml is pretty much stupid.
all characters look like zombies
society look like animals with no brain.

family become monkeys family.
kingdom control by gangsters.

story=bad
fighting =bad
character develope = zero
script =bad
kung fu fighting = bad ( no action beside blood come out from their mouth like snake )

there is nothing like blood of youth.
atory has too much pay attention on power few people. soldier has no power, let alone ordinary people.

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emotional damage

The story focus on young male lead who try to become hero of justice and somehow this drama didn't have judge or court or censorate.

It has king and general instead of court and the law rule by some gangsters, eunuchs, king, general.

our hero of justice is spoil kid, low morale, bragging, low iq, drunken.

The story itself promote lawless,alchohol, gangster, misbehavior in society.

1. SWORN BROTHERS = kill each other
2. Parents = less values
3. Family = broken
4. Society = theft, robber, gangster
5. School = training how to become theft, gangster.
6. Love = using rather than helping of kindness.

8.5 rate is more like ridiculous promote of spam.

Minion in this drama like troops, soldiers didn't even create formation or form of power like ever night or legend of shen li.
They are useless and stand for nothing.

Hero skill is more like gun fighting. shoot more than close combats.

rate should be 6.3

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Quite curious about this one. And now I've finished watch this, let's talk drama...

Story about Baili Dong Jun (DJ), the young master of the Marquis of Zhenxi's mansion . Despite of his status, he's one happy go lucky man that never care about join the 'family business'. His goal is to be the best wine brewer, because he like to drink & later we find out he also already made a promise with his friend Ye Yun (YY) to become Liquor Deity.

At first, DJ also not really care about martial art. But however, fate had other plan for him. His journey in martial art begin with DJ snatch the important sword & also the death of his master. DJ's master death, make him go to school of Li Chang Sheng, the top master in the world, and beginning to learn martial arts. Along the journey DJ find out he's born with special nature for practice martial art & there's a clan that already had an eye for him to practice their teachings.

Short story, in the martial art world, DJ find many friends & companion. He's also find his old friend YY, whose the world think was dead. And of course DJ also excel in his martial art & made quite a name for himself. But of course trouble also comes knocking the door. The more DJ excel in his martial art, the problem comes not only from martial art world, but also from politic that involve the emperor & other kingdom.

So how will they journey be in motion...

That's pretty much the story. Now what I like and don't.

What I like:
+ The interesting people. Start from DJ himself, to his teacher until YY.
+ The hidden BL. Oh come on don't lie to ourself this is not hidden BL. DJ's relationship with YY is more than friends in heart. Although they kinda cover it with the existence of the woman in their life.
+ No real bad guy. It's all about obsession in the end.

What I don't like:
- A little too much CGI nonsense of the martial arts moves.
- DJ is too pure for a man. Until feel so stupid, he never make his relationship with Yue Yao official for that many year.
- Times feel so damn slow. The most can be felt when YY child start to show up. That child seem not grow up. I know maybe they try to cut corner in hiring guess child actor. But that child from age 3 to age 5 doesn't change at all, is a little bit too much...

Overall this quite good martial art drama this year.

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A little dragging

Dashing Youth sure was expected and had to face the fact, that many had already seen The Blood of Youth and therefore knew the end.

The "+":
I liked all the actors, not one was anoying. Most of the characters were fun to follow. Some.were just "décoration" ans didn't add anything to the plot, but not annoying.
We had some heartbreaking scenes (I won't spoil but those cries of his still resonate in my ears)

The "-":
All those "drinking" scenes got quickly on my nerve.
The romantic scenes were so slow and dragging, without ever getting real. I always fastforwarded, as we had to observe the lovers eyeing each other for 1 minute straight, every single time.
Why did thew need a pure white carriage? This "pureness" of the main couple was just too much for me.
The CGI in the battles were too much, as well. The fighting-scenes were just about that, one blow, use of the final move - CGI all over - and that was it.
Why ? I was looking forward to some great fighting-scenes, I got none.

All over I missed the flow of TBOY and the interaction of their group: In DY it was more each character on his own, they just met from time to time, they didn't really get to create this particular group-dynamic I hoped for.

I don't regret watching it but I won't rewatch it.

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An Entertaining Prequel That's Not As Good As Its Sequel

Dashing Youth is the highly anticipated prequel to the dark horse hit, The Blood of Youth. Did it live up to expectations? Is it as good as its sequel? No and no. But it's still a good watch. If you're a fan of The Blood of Youth, you will want to see how things started and what the older generation of martial arts masters were like when they were young. Dashing Youth revolves around Baili Dongjun, known as the Liquor Deity, and the best martial artist of his generation. The drama follows his adventures and relationships with the people he meets in his journey to become a renowned martial arts master. Most particularly, it focuses on his bond with his best friend and later nemesis, Ye Dingzhi, the leader of the Demon Sect, and also known as Ye Yun, the son of the famed General Ye who fell into ruin after the latter grew too powerful for the emperor to tolerate.

The story centers around bromance with some hetero romance here and there, which I didn't care for to be honest. But those pairings have to happen because these characters have to produce the next generation of martial artists that are going to be featured in The Blood of Youth. Honestly, the bromances are the best part of this series. The relationships are quite engaging and the male characters are not only well-written, but are also portrayed by capable actors who have face cards that would be the envy of any boy group existing today. Hahahaha. Suffice to say, I watched mainly for the eye candy. Sorry, not sorry!

Unfortunately, it is also a cautionary tale of love and tragedy, and a friendship that turns sour because of diverging paths and differing ideals, so that's where the melodrama comes in. Ye Dingzhi's obsession with exacting revenge on the people who wronged him and his family, and taking back what was once his proved to be his demise. By nurturing his hate and insisting on taking back the woman that was once betrothed to him eventually caused his destruction and tainted his friendship with the one person who truly cared for him. His love for Yi Wenjun started a war that almost destroyed the kingdom and forced him to fight Baili Dongjun whom he treated as his beloved little brother. Yi Wenjun is basically the Helen of Troy of this story, the face that launched a thousand ships, so to speak. Obviously, I despised everything about her. Hahaha. I saw her as a selfish woman who only thought about her desires, using Dingzhi to rescue her from her gilded cage and abandoning even her children when it suited her. The other female characters are either meh who contribute nothing substantial to the story, or are even more hateful than Wenjun. So, I decided to just treat them as baby mommas for my pretty boys. I noticed the writer of the original novel can't write good female characters, which is actually typical for fight shonen manga/anime series where this story was clearly patterned from. But no matter, I was still entertained for the most part although I had to take a break from all the melodrama between Dingzhi and Wenjun.

Baili Dongjun, contrary to what most viewers of this drama think, is actually a great lead character. He starts out as a spoiled, bratty, and privileged youth who know nothing of the world, but becomes a reliable and admirable hero by the end of the series. You get to witness his character growth as the series progresses and that, to me, is good writing. Hou Minghao plays him to perfection. Granted that Minghao is not exactly a great actor, Dongjun fits him like a glove and he makes an effort to improve his acting skills with each new role he takes on, so I give him props for that. He Yu as Ye Dingzhi is equally good. He exudes a boyish charm that suits the character's persona before he turns to a darker path, and he also has enough gravitas to project the sadness and anger that weigh heavily on Dingzhi.

The rest of the cast are great in their respective roles as well. The 8 young masters of Beili are basically the historical wuxia drama version of the Taiwanese F4 but better because they can actually sing and are far more good looking! Hahaha. My favorites among them are the androgynous beauty Liu Yue played by Zhu Zhengting, Jun Yu played by Tong Mengshi from Joy of Life fame, and Lei Wujie's dad, Lei Mengsha, played by Wanyan Luorong from I Am Nobody. He made me laugh the most, he's practically a walking meme. But it was Xia Zhiguang as Sikong Changfeng who really stood out to me. His sense of valor and loyalty to his friends made me love him. Zhiguang is an accomplished athlete and martial artist so among all the cast members, his fight scenes looked the most believable to me. He really did learn how to handle that spear like a true expert. Another actor that got into my radar while watching this show is Xue Ba Yi who plays the White Haired Deity, Qi Xuan. I got a newfound respect for that character and I now understand his motivations after watching Ba Yi portray the younger version in this prequel.

In terms of production quality, this drama doesn't look cheap at all. You can tell they spent most of their budget on the special effects. The fight scenes are CGI-heavy, which I didn't mind personally because it was like watching a live action version of a shonen anime. However, unlike the Blood of Youth, it lacks the wuxia-style fight choreography that made its sequel stand out among other wuxia dramas. But I must admit, I would've appreciated more actual fights. I rather enjoyed the fight sequences in the Blood of Youth.

Dashing Youth also has a weaker and more convoluted writing. The plot progression in the beginning is a bit slow and it focuses too much on the love angles instead of showing some of the more vital parts of the story. To make everything fit into 40 episodes, they had to settle for exposition dumps in the form of narrations instead of actually delving into those scenes. I was disappointed because I was looking forward to getting to know the original four guardians of Tianqi, how they came together, and how they protected Beili. But they barely have screen time in this prequel. The ending also felt rushed to me. And that's why I think they should've managed the pacing better instead of dwelling on the romances that are merely plot devices. The politics are less overt than in The Blood of Youth, which I felt was really the strength of that sequel series. I wish they could've dealt with the political aspects more instead.

The music is way better, though. The opening theme is hands down the best I've heard in any C-drama thus far. I liked the OST of The Blood of Youth, but this prequel series has a more banging soundtrack imho. Although both series are set in the same universe, I liked the cinematography of the sequel better. It has a more magical feel to it for some reason.

But despite its flaws, I still think it's a cool series and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys anime-esque live action dramas that has lots of cool-looking special effects and endearing characters with interesting powers. Though not as strong as its sequel storywise, it is still a great standalone drama.

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