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My Journey to You: Spoiler-Free Mini Review

Jul 21
4 min read

Updated: Sep 21


Esther Yu and Zhang Linghe in My Journey to You Poster

Title:

My Journey to You (2023) 云之羽

Platform:

IQIYI

MDL Rating:

8.5 & 6.3

Genre:

Wuxia (Martial Fantasy)/ Action/ Romance

Episode Count:

24

Parental Guidance Rating:

TV-PG: Um... IQIYI do have them jokes. I'd say this is def PG-13 lol. Violence, bloodshed, brief torture. Overall, a darker/moodier tone.

Starring:

Esther Yu (Love Between Fairy and Devil)

Zhang Ling He (Pursuit of Jade)

Ryan Cheng (How Dare You?!)

Lu Yu Xiao (Love Between Lines)

RBTS Rating:

7.1/10 Stars: Moody and eye catching aesthetics with uneven pacing and angsty romance, that was saved by cool fight scenes, world building, and assassin intrigue.



Synopsis:

The series tells the story of Yun Wei Shan, a spy longing for freedom, who infiltrates the Gong residence to complete a mission. In the eerie and treacherous Gong residence, she encounters love and friendship, embarks on a journey of self-discovery, and finds the determination to move forward. Together with the rebellious nobleman Gong Zi Yu, they grow and mature through their shared experiences. @MDL



Spoiler-Free Mini Review:

My Journey to You is a feast for the eyes, but not the brain. The story was a 6/10 for me, however, the sparkly outfits were a 10/10. The drama's strength was its shiny (literally) cast, high quality and aesthetically distinct production, and well choreographed fight sequences. The mood was moody, and the world building was contained (and also moody lol). While romance is the driving motivation for the ML, it's not really the draw of the show. The Male Lead felt too naive and the Female Lead played stoic like it meant method acting a blank piece of paper. The sparks and believability just weren't there. On the bright side, at least Esther Yu (FL) didn't use her signature affected toddler voice, so she gets a 100% by default. All is forgiven. Zhang Ling He (ML) didn't have much of a range here as well.


Zhang Linghe in My Journey to you in a black and gold outfit with a headband
A little shimmery razzle dazzle never hurt anyone. The forehead headband was very boho chic.

The Second Couple had more steamy (also, literally) chemistry, and the 2FL was the acting hero of the drama. My highlight and greatest annoyance went to the Eldest Young Miss who did too much, but sometimes managed to be funny, which feels... impressive. Kudos.


My Journey to You is directed by Guo Jingming, which is relevant for several reasons. He's known for a grimmer style in tone and lighting that often veers into music video territory, where the OST is blasting and everyone is mogging the camera, but not much acting or story is going on. This drama was the least offensive of his three full length productions of late, but it's still a thing here. The story dragged for the first 18 episodes, and only 6 episodes ending up feeling compelling to me. That's not a passing grade, but Guo depends on the visual eye candy to make up for it.


The director uses the same set of actors in his other dramas, which is kinda fun. He really loves casting Tian Jia Rui (Gong Yuan Zhi) for some reason, and it makes me shudder. He also pairsAi Mi (Yun Que) and Zuo Yu (Young Master Yue) together in Fangs of Fortune. Side Note: I CANNOT believe Ai Mi was only 14 years old when she filmed this. It just goes hand in hand with the conversation surrounding her casting in Key to the Phoenix Heart.



Besides repeatedly casting Tian Jia Rui in dramas (sorry to that man, but no), Guo jingming is quite the controversial director who keeps changing his name every time he's involved in a controversy (which is a lot!). He was voted China's most hated male celebrity THREE years in a row. That would make me change my name too.


Here are some of the allegations:

  1. Just so much plagiarism--He was ordered by the Court to pay a fine and apologize, but it took him a decade.

  2. Accusations of sexual assult by a former emplyee. He has denied these allegations, and I don't believe there has been any update since 2017 or official charges regarding this.

  3. 156 screenwriters and directors boycotted him for ethical violations in 2020.

Source: Wikipedia


Both Esther Yu (FL) and Zhang Ling He (ML) have stated that they would not work with him again after the boycott, so adios hopes of a season 2. That dream is dead in the water.


Ryan Cheng in a tight ponytail in a still from My Journey to You
I watched this with my friend and we nicknamed his character Ariana Grande, because his high pony is TIGHT. It gives me a headache just looking at it.

I can't decide how I feel about the drama... It tried something different and I appreciate that, but it lacked warmth, not just in coloring, but in intention; the characters and their misfortunes felt too contrived. But if you like Wuixa and assassins, I do recommend dipping your toe in to see if it might interest you.


My Journey to You cast

Story=3.5 (Lots of potential but doesn't quite hit), Acting=4 (The FL actress doesn't do her typical baby voice so she gets a 5 just for that), Production Quality=5 (Everyone's high pony wigs were snatched and the outfits were sparkly), Rewatch Value=3 (Maybe), Ending=3 (Annoyingly open ended-- there was supposed to be s2 but no more), Enjoyability= 3 (It dragged for like the first 18 eps, but got way better towards the end.)


Trailer:



*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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