17 reviews
Very thrilling.
Even if you read the novel, you are not sure how the story unfolds.
Scriptwriter adapted flexible, familiar fantasy story becomes new, charismatic to the last minute.
Look forward to the sequel.
However, this is not a romance, so don't rely on romantic scenes or chemical reactions between couples.
Drama worth watching.
An unique series with plenty of plot twists and quirky character
What can I say about Joy of Life (aka Qing Yu Nian)? After seeing the dramatic trailer, I fully expected this to be a dark historic saga. I just never imagined I would be laughing so much. One-sentence synopsis: It's a story about a 21st century college student trying to survive ancient China by outmaneuvering political machinations while navigating through cultural and moral quandaries with plenty of modern flare.
Although Joy of Life fits mostly in the drama category, there were still plenty of sitcom moments and an army of quirky characters, with our time traveling protagonist at the top of the list. Wait, did I say time travel? I stand corrected. There's a minor detail I learned when I decided to read the novel after watching a couple of episodes: The original time travel/transmigration storyline is not in this live adaptation because China's media authorities banned time travel theme in domestic movies and television. Just google it if you want to learn more about the restriction on time travel, it's quite interesting.
I thought the juxtaposition of contemporary background music and historic setting can be a bit jarring at times, but it became less noticeable once I began to fully immerse in the drama. It wasn't hard for me to get use to the anachronisms since Joy of Life was set in a completely fictional world. Plus it's just plain funny to watch other characters' reactions whenever our protagonist fires a bunch of modern slangs and concepts at them.
I'm not a big fan of Zhang Rouyun (the lead actor) and I'm still not feeling the chemistry between him and Li Qin (the female lead). Even so, I had to admit that he did a great job portraying the crafty opportunist with a heart of gold. Overall, the intriguing plot twists and its fascinating characters were the main reasons that kept me hooked to this odd story until the very end.
I would recommend this series to viewers with at least some knowledge of Chinese language and customs; the wordplay and cultural references in the show were truly funny, but they could easily get lost in translation. Therefore, I'd like to conclude this review by giving all subtitle teams a round of applause for taking on the challenge of translating shows like Joy of Life.
Although Joy of Life fits mostly in the drama category, there were still plenty of sitcom moments and an army of quirky characters, with our time traveling protagonist at the top of the list. Wait, did I say time travel? I stand corrected. There's a minor detail I learned when I decided to read the novel after watching a couple of episodes: The original time travel/transmigration storyline is not in this live adaptation because China's media authorities banned time travel theme in domestic movies and television. Just google it if you want to learn more about the restriction on time travel, it's quite interesting.
I thought the juxtaposition of contemporary background music and historic setting can be a bit jarring at times, but it became less noticeable once I began to fully immerse in the drama. It wasn't hard for me to get use to the anachronisms since Joy of Life was set in a completely fictional world. Plus it's just plain funny to watch other characters' reactions whenever our protagonist fires a bunch of modern slangs and concepts at them.
I'm not a big fan of Zhang Rouyun (the lead actor) and I'm still not feeling the chemistry between him and Li Qin (the female lead). Even so, I had to admit that he did a great job portraying the crafty opportunist with a heart of gold. Overall, the intriguing plot twists and its fascinating characters were the main reasons that kept me hooked to this odd story until the very end.
I would recommend this series to viewers with at least some knowledge of Chinese language and customs; the wordplay and cultural references in the show were truly funny, but they could easily get lost in translation. Therefore, I'd like to conclude this review by giving all subtitle teams a round of applause for taking on the challenge of translating shows like Joy of Life.
- patriciacarpenter
- Dec 13, 2019
- Permalink
Fabulous Wuxia Costume Drama!
Wonderful historical costume drama! What really captured my attention to this series was the comedic references throughout each episode: very well integrated into each characters' execution. Similarly, Zhang Ruoyun was brilliant as Fan Xian: his character's expressions and dialog were extremely entertaining and amusing-exceptional performance. Likewise, there were many high-quality, multiple-layered characters that contributed to the amazing production of this narrative: fantastic supporting cast. Fabulous CG worldbuilding, writing and story. Loved the journey! Cheers!
Great show. Worth watching!
Awesome, entertaining show with a story that offers lots of surprises. Nice pacing with good balance of light & heavy-hearted segments, while engaging you to the end. A great cast who gave solid performance in both older and younger roles. You care about the characters and about what happens to them.
Beautiful costumes, beautiful hair & makeup (don't know how good they are until you've seen other lesser shows).
Well-executed martial art. I have watched gazillion martial art movies and TV series but there were fight scenes in Joy of Life that really impressed me.
I would have given it 9.5 stars if I could. Not 10 because the first 10/12 episode dragged at time. However, once you've passed that stage the story continues to get more intriguing and exciting.
Can't wait till Season 2 is up!
Beautiful costumes, beautiful hair & makeup (don't know how good they are until you've seen other lesser shows).
Well-executed martial art. I have watched gazillion martial art movies and TV series but there were fight scenes in Joy of Life that really impressed me.
I would have given it 9.5 stars if I could. Not 10 because the first 10/12 episode dragged at time. However, once you've passed that stage the story continues to get more intriguing and exciting.
Can't wait till Season 2 is up!
Brilliant
This drama is so good the acting is excellent. The story is not boring its addictive ive watched upto episode 9 on youtube keep checking everyday for a new episode. It has a bit of everything humour drama and romance dont think there is anybody who would not like this drama .
- joanne-78049
- Dec 7, 2019
- Permalink
All time favourite.
Can't get enough of it ,watched so many times but still.dont know when second season is going to come waiting eagerly.story is so intriguing.it has comedy, romance,plots.everything seems real not like other dramas where everything just follows main lead ,it's like it's already fix that he is hero and everything has to be according,but in this drama it doesn't feel like that.cast is so good,each and everyone not just leads.hope second season comes soon and with same cast.
- muglepragati
- Nov 3, 2021
- Permalink
Absolutely beautiful, nothing can compare
UNPARALLELED!
Ah...where can I even begin. This show is fantastic and so layered and captivating that it is nothing short of magnificent! There is a little bit of everything in this show and not to mention the most believable and interesting characters that make this drama an even more immersive experience. I so cannot wait for season 2 because just wow! This is such an inspiring story because it's so good that me as an aspiring writer can only hope to achieve such level of calculated brilliance in any future works of mine. Even just the evolution of Fan Xian and some other characters is just so remarkable that I have to pause and just relish in how good this show is. It is superb and unparalleled and I rest my case lol.
- sanayalucion
- Mar 27, 2020
- Permalink
Nothing Outstanding or Memorable
The first time I watched this series, I lasted until about episode 8 or so. The ridiculous boy-chase-girl storyline didn't seem to fit with the overall conflict of the story, which is the mystery of Fan Xian's family background and his mother's murder. The second time I tried it (in spring of 2022), I was able to move past that flaw and finish watching the first season. *Pros* - production quality - the acting by the veteran actors was superb; - most of the other scenes featured important plot and character development; - the comedy; - the emotional drama; *Cons* - The silly & unnecessary romantic plotline that was created to boost Li Qin's screen time; - the many deviations from the novel with regard to the plot and character development; - the chaotic fight scenes that rely too heavily on swinging camera work rather than martial-arts choreography. *Overall* Nothing stellar about this drama. After finishing the first season, I don't feel the urge to rewatch it because it doesn't have any memorable scenes (funny, romantic, emotional, suspenseful, etc.)
Smart, intriguing, mindblowing!
Really love the plot of this drama! So much twist, so much scheming. You thought and guessed one thing, what really happened is the other thing. Mindblowing! Once you get to the end, you will finally understand simple things which you take for granted before, like the meaning of the opening song, the hair accessories which I think is pretty unique for a historical drama, the modern cut/editing/transition.
I love the cinematography of this drama too. The composition is neat. The lighting is pretty dramatic but still natural.
Also love the costume. I notice that they differentiate the pattern for the different countries.
Applause for all the actors too, great actings both from the senior and the junior actors. Really brought to life the interesting characters. I hope they wouldn't change any actor for season 2.
- angelia_lidya
- Mar 2, 2021
- Permalink
In love with all the cast act especially with zhang Rouyun and Xiao zhan..
Oh my Gosh!! I can't wait for the second season. . . The drama is too good worth every penny. I would love to thank the team for bringing such a great actors together. Zhang rouyun his acting skills are of next level. God of poetry. Amazing! Xiao zhan and li qin won our heart again.
Eagerly waiting for the next part #Joyoflife2
Thanks to chinese entertainment industry.😊
- abom-65460
- Mar 10, 2021
- Permalink
10/10 mystery
Good story and good acting. The Actors are into the character. The story keep us wonder and want to continue to watch it. Go to watch it now.
- phatsovanna
- Feb 29, 2020
- Permalink
Best of best
Best series of the year. Who like scifi+ancient chinese do not miss this movie.
Great Chinese series
I fear you will anger Imperial father
The star of the show is Fan Xian who is played excellently by Zhang Ruo Yun and my review is based on the first two series as there is no confirmed date for series three. It is set in the ancient empire of Qing and the story begins with Fan returning to the capital after years of exclusion after an assassination attempt on him. He has memories of the future and his mother who he never knew brought great knowledge to the kingdom. Once he is in the capital he soon rises through the ranks and his support is pursued by powerful factions within the court. The story goes along at a steady pace and has many twists and turns with a great supporting cast and good character development and I would have liked more inclusion of some of the interesting side characters. Well worth a watch but remember there are a lot of episodes and more to come.
- alaningle7
- Aug 24, 2024
- Permalink
A good life is a collection of happy moments
I decided to watch this series when I read Xiao Zhan was part of the cast. However he only appeared in the last few episodes. The hero was excellent in his performance being a man from the future. All the cast members each played their role well. The drama was exciting and fast moving, which made me sit and watch the drama intently. I do not understand Mandarin so need to depend on subtitles which during some of the scene's sub-title were too fast. However, the scenes moved fast; story connectivity was excellent. Xiao Zhan's role was stoic and his hairstyle made him look a very serious character compared to Wei Ying in The Untamed, where he was carefree. However, the ending of Season 1 was not to my expectation. I am eagerly awaiting Season 2. Hats off to the writer Mao Ni.
- shamsunnisa-64958
- Feb 13, 2022
- Permalink
A Masterpiece A Must Watch.
- ayaniismail
- Sep 9, 2023
- Permalink