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Back From the Brink: Spoiler-Free Mini Review

Jul 29
2 min read

Updated: Sep 9

Title:

Back from the Brink (2023) 护心

Platform:

Viki, Youtube (free), Youku

MDL & Douban Rating:

8.4 & 7.2

Genre:

Xianxia

Episode Count:

40

Parental Guidance Rating:

PG: Minor violence and blood

Starring:

Hou Ming Hao (Love in the Clouds)

Zhou Ye (Legend of the Female General)

Yang Rong (Three-Body)

Riley Wang (A Dream Within A Dream)

Chen Xin Yu (Princess Silver)

Zou Ye (Fated Hearts)

RBTS Rating:



6/10 Stars: A silly Xianxia that embraces absurdity over angst, in a somewhat bumpy, but fun ride that almost pushed me to the brink of dropping with its uneven pacing. However, it reeled me back in with the bewildering whimsy.


Cast From Left to Right: #HouMingHao, #ZhouYe, #YangRong, #RileyWang, #ChenXinYu


Synopsis:

Betrayed and dismembered by his lover, the ancient dragon Tian Yao is reborn, seeking to reclaim his sealed body parts. He meets Yan Hui, who unknowingly holds his heart protection scale, the key to breaking a seal. Using her to retrieve his stolen bones, Tian Yao plans his revenge, while Yan Hui attempts to escape but fails. As they journey together, their bond deepens, and Yan Hui discovers shocking truths about her origins. @MDL



Spoiler-Free Mini Review:

Back from the Brink is a very unserious Xianxia, and you know what, it was fun. The narrative follows a dragon conned in love who must now con an unsuspecting girl, who has unknowingly stolen his heart (literally). The drama had an angsty premise, but it did the right thing by not leaning into the genre's natural instinct, but instead embraced the whimsy and absurd. And I appreciated that.



The acting wasn't great, but the two leads had nice chemistry, and the story never took their romance too seriously. Riley Wang (Bai Xiao Sheng) and Zho Ye (Feng Qian Shuo) were tons of fun, and the side characters were more than just filler.


But beware: The CGI is a stuff of nightmares and some of the costumes made me shudder. Perhaps we took in too much of the whimsy, because the whole show felt like a hallucination. The drama also had serious pacing issues, and I even dropped it at one point, but then revisited to confirm that in fact existed. In some ways it pushed me to the brink.



I'd recommend if you're looking for a more lighthearted, silly Xianxia. I don't want to be bewildered alone.



And 10 gold stars to the Iconic quotes about the FL's bald spots.


Still makes me laugh
Still makes me laugh

Story=3.5, Acting=2.5, Production Quality=4, Rewatch Value=2.5, Ending=3, Enjoyability= 2.25 (More than half dragged)


Trailer:


Director: #SamHo (The Blossoming Love)

Screenwriter: #WangRuoKe (Love Travels Through Time)


*Disclaimer: I do not own any of the images used on this blog. All images belong to their respective copyright holders and are used for commentary and review purposes. All reviews, opinions, and statements expressed on this blog are my own and are intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. They reflect my personal thoughts and interpretations and should not be considered as factual.



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