For avid readers of wuxia and xianxia novels, it is hard to find excellent drama adaptations that give the original plot and characters justice. It is understandable to have some deviations in the plot, it is not really possible to faithfully follow everything in the lengthy novel especially those absurdly difficult scenes that can only remain a fantasy. However, I like it better if they preserve the original characters as much as possible.
Ever Night is brave enough to cast many newcomers, especially the two main leads. Lets see how the first few episodes fared.
Synopsis:
Set in an apocalyptic version of the Tang Dynasty, where it was prophesized that the Yong Ye will be born to bring chaos, Ning Que is an orphan carrying the burden of avenging his family. He enters the Wei City military with his maidservant Sang Sang, whom he found in a pile of corpses as a baby. Ning Que accepts the task to escort the Tang Princess to the capital to get closer to his goal of enrolling to the best academy, where he gets apprenticed to a strong master. However, their peaceful days soon ends as Sang Sang’s identity is discovered and they are hunted by the whole world.
The cinematography is good. Plus, because they spent a sizable budget in the locations there are not too many scenes filmed in green background like other adaptations. I can watch the series just to look at the scenery.
Chen Fei Yu‘s action scenes look good and his interaction with Sang Sang is golden. The eyes… I like how he looks at her with eyes full of doting love. I want to fast forward to the time where they realize their feelings past sibling love. If this ship sinks, I’ma send a knife to the scriptwriter. Though there is still room for improvement in his acting, he has enough charm to be the protagonist.
Song Yiren is Sang Sang in every way based on looks. I can’t believe she is 25, she is so small that the younger Chen Feiyu can easily carry her. Her acting is also very good.
Sang Sang seems more lively in the drama than in the original novel and I liked that change. I also liked how they portray every detail of this cute, food-loving and money-obsessed girl. However, her characterization fell short in the adaptation. Her novel counterpart is smarter and stronger than she acts on the surface. Still, let’s give her a room to grow for now.
When Prince Long Qing first showed up, I thought he was a woman. That white dress and that hairstyle… they could have done better. I also don’t like the way, he delivers his lines. Strike one for this important antagonist.
Strike two for Princess Ling Yu. It looks like the adaptation shaved some of her IQ. she comes off as impulsive than her supposed smart character.
Its good that there are many veterans to fill the gap. I especially liked Yin Zhusheng’s portrayal of Ma Tuxiang, Ning Que’s superior in the military. He’s got the part of the father-figure down.
Verdict: All in all it’s Ever Night is off for a good start. Though there are some dull areas, it has its good points as well. The fight scenes are well-choreographed and the leads look very cute together.
But there’s something I want to ask the production team. What’s with their obsession of bath scenes? There are three just from the very first episode. (And what’s with me seriously counting them?)
Cheers for Ning Que and Sang Sang CP!
Source: 1
Anonymous
I am super impressed (didn’t have any expectations) with this show. The plot narrative is easy to understand and relationships are so touching already by episode 2. Yes, the cinematography is beautiful and elevates the show. However, the action scenes are not just good but they are excellent and may redefine TV drama adaptation of wuxia fighting scenes. It is the way the fight scenes are super realistic and yet builds in fantasy as an additional element. Chen Feiyu gets major kudos for the action scenes too. I agree that he is charming enough to lead the drama. I just finished episode 4 and the only bad for me is trying to keep track of who is who and how they are relationship wise. Soo thankful that English subs are available for this show. For me, great start for this drama and I hope it continues to exceed my expectations.
Anonymous
This drama is amazing :
– amazing sceneries
– amazing fighting scenes and special effects
– wonderful leads(the acting obviously needs some improvement, but still okay. And Chen Feiyu is cool and charismatic and is very good in fighting scenes) and great supporting actors (the senior actors, Hu Jun, they are amazing).
– Nice script
I feel that epi 1-2 are very good as the opening. I agree that it was rather difficult to remember the many characters and parties and conflicts in the beginning episodes, like we were thrown by many things at once, but it became better and better later on (starting from epi 6, I think?)
And the fighting scenes and the sceneries are the best!
The CGI doesnt look cheap, no fake sceneries, natural colors. Once again, the fighting scenes are amazing.
Hopefully they maintain this quality until the end. It's too bad if this ends up like other dramas who were amazing only in the beginning / 1st half.
Sunny
THanks for the review! Thank you so much for saying the female lead was in her mid-20s. She looked so young in the promos I was squicked out at a potential romance so that has eased my mind a bit.
Unknown
Ditto all of the above. I adore this drama, esp the leads relationship and hope it develops into a romantic one, but she'll have to be a bit older than she is. Perhaps in season two…
Unknown
I think the actress is in her mid 20s. The character can only be about 15 years old as he was only 6 or 8 when he found her as a baby and that was 7 or 8 years ago. I don't remember exactly which episode said how old he is now. But I'm assuming quite a bit of time will pass throughout the drama. Don't know about the novel.