Back From the Brink (2023)

A Must Watch for lovers of Wuxia-Romance drama!!!

I have watched plenty of Romance, Wuxia dramas but this one has surpassed them all
Despite all the issues n problems it always gives a positive vibe and hope....The chemistry of the leads is beyond amazing..both are strong sensible and always protected each other which is rare to find in dramas...Leads have done a phenomenal job in portraying different shades of their character, even side characters are quite amazing and add value to the plot...The story is super engaging and truly well directed...OST is breathtaking!!
I am highly impressed with the drama...The only thing I kind of missed in this was a good kissing scene.
I highly highly recommend this to everyone...Not a single person will disappoint investing time in this for sure
My Rating - 9.5/10

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Amazing

Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me. Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me Imma keep it short. You will not regret watching this. Trust me

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A fated love between two worlds

It started off really good. I was hooked from the very first episode. I never read the novel like everyone else so I don't know how the story supposed to go. But like everyone else, I agreed that the story was dragged from around episode 12 / 13. It could've ended in episode 20 - 25 but since they had to make it 40 episodes, they dragged it way too long. It's such a pitty especially with the story build up, it ended just like that. For a drama that was made longer than it supposed to be, the ending surely is very rushed. I have certain parts that I love so much, but I also have parts that annoy me so much that I think it was so unnecessary to be put there.

Well, it was a good journey. I love both Tianyao and Yanhui. I also love Bai Xiaosheng, though a lot of the novel reader said he didn't exist in the novel 😂 glad it's at least a happy ending. But it was such a rushed ending 🥲

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The pain of betrayal and how to regain your dignity after having experience the brink of death

Back From the Brink is one of my favorite xianxia dramas. I admit that there's a little loophole in the plot, but it doesn't defect me from enjoying it. So, now let us venture into the intriguing plot and characters!

Back From the Brink is adapted from one of Jiu Lu Fei Xiang's novel 'Hu Xin' which literally means protect the heart. It tells the interspecies romance of Tian Yao (once a legendary and ancient dragon) and Yan Hui (a freshly expelled Taoist cultivator). On Tian Yao's wedding day, his lover (Su Ying) dismembered him and sealed the entire parts of his body separately. In a final despair attempt, Tian Yao managed to gouge his dragon heart and sent it away before Su Ying could take action. He later died and possessed a body of a dead boy, trying to get back his body parts by hook or by crooks. Not long after that, Tian Yao encountered a bold yet cheerful former Taoist cultivator, Yan Hui, who coincidentally possessed Tian Yao's dragon heart. At first, they seemingly played the cat-and-mouse game as Yan Hui was adamant of Tian Yao's plan to use her with the purpose of getting his body. As the story progressed, Yan Hui slowly started to be attracted by Tian Yao and so did he. Just like the saying goes, if you've never encountered failure, how could you move on to become the better you? So, this drama depicts this saying in an excellent way. Nevertheless, the leads regained their dignities after encountering a lot of dangers in their adventure and nearly being in the slump of death multiple times.

As a novel reader, the story doesn't deviate very much except for the introduction of the shadow ghost (Bai Xiaosheng). At first, he might seem to be freaking annoying due to his interference of the main leads' relationship. Thank God I'm proved wrong. He was the CATALYST that would lead Tian Yao and Yan Hui to form a deeper bond which is more than just friends and companions. Also, he had numerous antics which would make me laugh like a lunatic. If I'm not mistaken, there was no Fu Yin (lord of the dark aura) in the novel. I guess it was made up for this drama. I'm not sure but I didn't like his character very much. Moreover, his backstory wasn't properly explained which led to the confusion of the watchers. I get that Fu Yin was a lonely person with only Xue Lin (a former Taoist cultivator who would eventually marry the fox king) as his companion. After Xue Lin got married, he began to resent everything in this world and turned evil. Is that all the writers have got? I wish we could see more about Fu Yin's flashback and how he transformed into the lord of dark aura.

Don't get me started at the ending! It was a SUPER LACKLUSTER! After a series of twist and turn, the writers decided to cram everything into the last episode and the KISS in the last scene was the prove of a happy ending?? Come on, we need more than just a kiss. At least, you can explain how Yan Hui was reincarnated again and found Tian Yao in the mortal world. Because of this reason and the above one, I will have to dock one point off the story.

Actings and chemistry are all fine. I've got no problem with that. What I like the most is the bickering relationship between Tian Yao and Yan Hui - there's always something they could debate of. Meanwhile, second couple (Xian Ge and Feng Qianshuo) have a more mature relationship and constantly support each other either financially or emotionally. Third couple (Huan Xiaoyan and Zhu Li) has a worse bickering relationship than the first couple and they seem to be pretty chaotic when they're together. Special mention to the fourth couple (Su Ying and Lu Musheng) who has one-sided love effect and the latter doesn't reciprocate thingy.

Guess I will end my rant until here. Although there're several cons, you can still watch it peacefully since it's a light-hearted xianxia compared to the angsty one (for instance, Till the End of the Moon). Happy watching and good luck.

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侠 (“Xia”) in essence - protecting what matters

Back from the Brink (BFTB) has a simple story plot - a handicapped dragon in search of his missing parts due to an ex betrayal.

This simplicity is its strength. Within 10 mins of the show, BFTB has told us what we need to know about the background context, Yan Hui’s (YH) personality, and how she is interlinked with Tian Yao (TY) in his quest. Straightforward with no filters. (Yes, those cute little loyal genies aren’t filters.) Their meet cute were hilarious and logical - a rare combination in many stories these days.

The best part of this light hearted series is Yan Hui’s character. I love how YH is kind, but isn’t a Mary Sue. She trusts people yet will not allow others manipulate her. She has a protective instinct towards those being bullied, but rightfully, affirms her priorities and will say No to requests that she doesn’t want to do. She is decisive and quick witted. What a healthy role model! I also particularly love how direct and expressive YH is. While a lot of credit is due to the screenwriter, I got to applaud the actress, Zhou Ye, who managed to strike that right balance for YH’s character. Her portrayal of YH adds a lot of points to made this character so likeable.

TY’s character is also done with care. Although he was betrayed by his ex in such a cruel way, and had to experience a lot of pain for losing his body parts, I love how he didn’t project his hurt to others. Sure, he was reserved and cautious with strangers, and was a handful to deal with. Beneath the reserved exterior, I can see his kindness, strength and wilfulness, befitting of the only Millennium Dragon in the story. His journey of redemption was slow, painful and can be frustrating at times to watch - but hey, isn’t the struggle and growth the whole point of a great character.

Main characters aside, I love the representation of each story arcs and the key characters in them as YH and TY journeyed to gather the latter’s missing parts. I love Xiange’s determination and stance in protecting what she believes in. I admire Lu Mu Sheng’s loyalty towards his wife, even if they did not expound on it. I respect Qing Qiu’s key characters’ belief and protection towards peace. While it is a stretch to understand Su Ying’s and her sister’s respective obsession (I suppose that’s why they are family), I can accept that there are characters like these and feel pain for them. And of course, how can one not love the little genies and children at dragon valley - how innocent and cute.

Most importantly of all, there were timely injects of humors and heartfelt moments throughout BFTB, making this xian xia my favorite of this year.

OST wise, it took me awhile to like them. The cute CGI style could be a make or break for some audience. And while I personally like the story plot is simple, it may be too light of a taste for those who are looking for brilliant plot twists or dramatic moments in stories.

At the core of it, BFTB makes us think harder about our prejudices (if any) towards people who are of different class, differentiating between love and obsession, the implications of choices and trade-offs (i.e. What it means sacrificing one life to save the world), how to embody the value, 侠 (“Xia”) chivalry, and what protecting truly means.

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This cdrama is the best one ive come across ao far.
The storyline line is at good normal pace and not too draggy at all..although i sometimes dont understand some lines here and there might be lost through translations.

The ML and FL are really good looking so its a bonus. They convey some of the emotions very well especially the comedy part.

Music and ost are just special it conveys their feelings perfectly.

Dont want to give too much spoilers but its worth a watch. I dont like going back and rewatch stories but this one i can go back and rewatch over and over without losing interest. I understand some people dropped this due to releasing time but its really worth a watch..you will not regret watching the ML his character is very well done and admirable not too obsessed over the FL. The FL is one of the most kind and understandable you'll ever find so this review deserves more than enough from me

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Friendship to lovers

This xianxia drama is one of a kind. The best one so far for me.

The good side:

Storyline:
good pacing not too draggy, although some may find it going by too fast.
They stay on the original plot and some side stories and side characters add to the original plotline which is great.
The main leads relationships are the healthiest ive ever seen in xianxia so far. They wrap their misunderstanding pretty quickly and not toxic at all.

The FL is pretty powerful, she saved the ML so many times during the story and vice versa. They initially hated and distrust each other but their love for each other grew slowly and not forced.

Acting:
Neo Hou and Zhou Ye are really pretty and pleasing to the eye which is a bonus. Their acting are not cringey at all especially the ML acting as a baby 😍.

Song:
Great choices of songs the main lead himself sang one of the ost. Zhou Shen as well which ia really good.

Down side:
I try not to be biased as i possibly can because i really like this drama.

This is a low budget drama so the CGI is not the very best but it also adds to the storyline which i find it funny

Initially, i thought the ML acting wasnt the best but towards the end of the story i can understand his emotions really well, so just a matter of patients and understanding what they are trying to convey.

Anyways if you dont like the drama then you wouldnt like it...but hoping for a HE 🤞

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A refreshingly fun xianxia about ordinary people that doesn't take itself too seriously

Don't let the modest budget fool you. This is a surprisingly decent xianxia. A breath of fresh air from the angst-glutted melodramas of most modern xianxias, Back from the Brink wisely keeps the storyline strong but simple- there are no gods or demons, no heavenly politics, no protagonists who are secretly gods/goddesses/princes/princesses/calamities that will bring about the end of the world (side-eyeing The Starry Love, The Legend of Chongzi, TTEOTM and the currently airing Beauty of Resilience and that's just from this year...) This is a story about a dragon boy and a human girl who meet and inevitably fall in love. We have Tianyao (Hou Minghao), our Millennium Spirit Dragon who comes with some serious emotional baggage - he was jilted at the altar and dismembered in the most gruesome way possible by his sociopathic ex keen on using his skin to make an immortality suit for her true loved one. To counter our broody, revenge-seeking dragon, we have the cheerful, glib-tongued Yan Hui (Zhou Ye), a cultivator who's kicked out of her sect for standing up for what's right. Through a twist of fate, Yan Hui inherits the Heart Protection Scale - the final and most critical piece of Tianyao's armor, making her existence simultaneously desired and tenuous as multiple parties - Tianyao included - want the scale for their own agendas.

Drama strengths: Excellent chemistry between the two leads. I was already familiar with Zhou Ye's work in Word of Honor and am pleased to see her take on the challenge of a main role. I was not impressed with Hou Minghao's past work (Psych-Hunter and Lost Tomb 2 were just ok to me) but this project has really improved his acting chops and his microexpressions have gotten much better. It was very satisfying to see both of their characters grow and mature to complement the other. The writing itself is also very solid and the internal logic overall is surprisingly sound. Nothing groundbreaking but themes of choice, transformation, kindness vs power, what does it mean to be good/evil are consistent. Except for a blip where the writers deviated from the novel and made some Choices from ep 16-22, most characters' motivations and actions make sense. This is also one of the few xianxias where supporting characters are actually thoughtfully fleshed out rather than as artlessly discarded plot devices (cough cough TTEOTM). I appreciated the variety in the couples explored, both for the young and also the widowed (or for one unfortunate character, Lu Musheng, who has the dubious honor of both). The OST is actually great. Costuming details and set designs were also decent, considering the budget that they had to work with. I liked the styling and make-up of the characters - it was very clean and natural and not overdone.

Drama weaknesses: Ok, the CGI ranges from laughably bad to okay at best but I would say the production team spent their money wisely. I'd rather sacrifice the visuals than the writing. The ending is also a little abrupt (the last episode is noticeably a solid 3 minutes shorter than the average episode duration) which leaves me wondering if they just ran out of money and leaves quite a few unanswered questions but rest assured that the ending itself is surprisingly a happy one.
Fans who are looking for more physically demonstrative signs of on-screen intimacy will likely found our main couple to be too chaste. I personally did not have a problem with this since I don't believe characters need to vigorously make out with each other to show intimacy but that's just my two cents.

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Could have been so much better

This drama had a nice plotline but the execution and story telling really was disappointing. It lacked depth n intrigue, I wasn't much excited to watch it but I somehow watched it n completed becos i just had nothing more exciting to watch rn. Love story wise it was total disappointment, I didn't feel anything for them as couple, no chemistry too, acting wise evryone was jst okayish, but ml lacked proper expression n so most of the times I felt confused as to whether he is angry, sad, jealous, worried or what as he had only 2 expressions most of the times. But he did well as baby dragon though. I enjoyed him in that part . Riley Wang shined in his role n fl did well too. Idk as the show ended I didn't feel much attached or sad that it ended like i feel for few shows I loved n rewatched , so I don't think I will rewatch this one.

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Do not be tricked, it is not labeled as comedy, but it is. Back from the Brink is so comical I don’t remember how many times I laughed and cried and went back to laughing again. I truly think in this series Zhou Ye as the lead won me over. I last saw her in Word of Honor. I remembered her character because of the sad ending of her love story and her bratty attitude. I really wasn’t expecting much from her in this series but she proved me wrong. Let's not forget Riley Wang, man I adore his character in here. I bet the both of them had a ball behind the scenes seeing how funny they were.

Back from the Brinks opens with a betrayal on a couple’s wedding night. Because of this, it captivated my attention at the beginning, and I had to continue with the series. His body parts and heart are torn and sealed away in different places. ML and FL later meet, with ML finding out FL has his heart. Their journey starts as they try to find the rest of his body parts leading to meeting funny, loving individuals and losing individuals they love.

What I love about this series:
The cinematography and the beautiful cgs.
The side characters. You can’t help but grow to love some of them. I still can’t believe Zuo Ye is in here!!!!
The storyline.
FL acting and her character
Riley’s character
Lot of scenes that will make you laugh and cry all within the same episode.

What I didn’t like:
Felt super long, I just finished Love you Seven time so I was expecting a pace similar to that but this one felt long and I skipped a lot.
Let's be honest, how many of us were ready to go head-to-head with Su Ying's character. Just had to put it out there :D

Neo acting. There were just some moments where I felt he could have done more but he kept himself in check a lot and thought about appearance more than acting. But that is just my personal thoughts.

Recommended if you are looking for the next wuxia to watch. Also, recommended if you are a fan of Neo and Zhou Ye or Riley. I think they come a long way

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Really good chemistry between TY and YH

I started watching this because of Neo and I didn't regreted it. They had such a good chemistry throught the drama.

The drama overall had a good storyline, wasn't boring and exciting. Loved the OST. Both main characters had a miserable life and I felt sad for both. I laughed so hard in this drama and it was a rom-com drama to watch after work. Loved BXS jokes and his matchmaking thorught the drama. Although he didn't get together with YH he was still happy. As for TY he got a bit sad ending when YH passed away but at the end she appears which means she didn't die. Loved the couples XG x FQS. HXY and ZL bickering thorught the drama but became a couple at the ending is just so cute. As for SY...she was annyoing for me all the time.
I was so happy that every couple got a happy ending.

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Typical & Nice Costume Drama

I enjoy Neo's work as an actor (especially in Hutong with Zhao Lusi) and there was a good hype for this series that I gave it a try even paying for a month subscription for it just to satisfy my curiosity.
This is a fantasy, costume series. As a typical costume series, it started from the very beginning with a poor, starving soul then came across the hero with unsettled heart that then healed by the poor soul.
Costume is magnificent in this series for everyone even the extras. Production is awesome. Beautifully crafted and done with obvious dedication showing in every small details.
The entire cast work harmoniously together but I will avoid saying that there's this magical chemistry. I am unable to see that even from the lead characters. The actor who was casted as the Dark Phantom didnt work for me either. Its lacking the face and look of the most powerful evil being.

The story evolved but mainly focused on the dragon's affairs affecting the lead female's life. Many side stories before it got to the highlight of the story.
I enjoyed it while watching but it wasnt one of those where I anticipated for the next episode or excited to see how it will turn out. It was 👍 👌
Worth watching, though as someone who paid subscription for this, I would suggest not to do that and find it to watch for free. Theses another series i paid for a subscription in another platform and that one I am very thankful I did because it is so worth the payment.

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