After watching all 43 episodes of this drama in Netflix, I decided to put down my thoughts as most reviews are either really bad or super duper the good. The Longest Promise really is neither, nor does it have as good a story as The Untamed.
On the plus side, the sets and costumes were really nice. You could tell that it was high end production and that the producers had the budget for it. The acting was solid as well for the most part, and I think the actors chosen all fit their respective roles. Everyone seems to rave about the male lead, Xiao Zhan, from his doe-eyed looks to his acting skills. However, for me, the breakout star was actually the main male supporting actor, Alen Fang Yilun, who was able to portray everything from a loyal butler, to a tender lover, to a fierce warrior, and a creepy villain. I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future as he definitely has the acting chops to boot, and hope that he gets recognized for it.
On the negative side, there were problems with the plot and storytelling.
1. Based on a fantasy novel, the world building could have been better in terms of the different clan and races. I think there needed to be a bit more historical context right from the get go so we know why the ice clan is evil or why the merfolk are persecuted.
2. There are multiple villains, but none of them were remotely interesting. Even the main big bad reveal at the end was disappointing.
3. Parts of the plot were very simplistically wrapped up or even shown offscreen. If you watched this drama, you will know what I mean.
4. I see some reviews talking about the excellent CGI. First of all, it is by no means excellent. Excellent is Game of Thrones level CGI. This drama ranged from a decent dragon to a laughable giant bird.
5. The Longest Promise was simply too long, especially the slow moving first half, and the dragged out ending! Too many lovey dovey or fluff scenes given to the main couple at the expense of the plot, and not enough of 1 through 4 above. They could of easily done all of the above while also doing a proper romance.
6. Literally all the main characters were obsessed with a specific person leading to their downfall or using it as justification for their actions. This trope got old real quick and was just bad writing.
I would rate this a 5/10 but given that I at least somewhat enjoyed it, I will bump it up to a 6.
On the plus side, the sets and costumes were really nice. You could tell that it was high end production and that the producers had the budget for it. The acting was solid as well for the most part, and I think the actors chosen all fit their respective roles. Everyone seems to rave about the male lead, Xiao Zhan, from his doe-eyed looks to his acting skills. However, for me, the breakout star was actually the main male supporting actor, Alen Fang Yilun, who was able to portray everything from a loyal butler, to a tender lover, to a fierce warrior, and a creepy villain. I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future as he definitely has the acting chops to boot, and hope that he gets recognized for it.
On the negative side, there were problems with the plot and storytelling.
1. Based on a fantasy novel, the world building could have been better in terms of the different clan and races. I think there needed to be a bit more historical context right from the get go so we know why the ice clan is evil or why the merfolk are persecuted.
2. There are multiple villains, but none of them were remotely interesting. Even the main big bad reveal at the end was disappointing.
3. Parts of the plot were very simplistically wrapped up or even shown offscreen. If you watched this drama, you will know what I mean.
4. I see some reviews talking about the excellent CGI. First of all, it is by no means excellent. Excellent is Game of Thrones level CGI. This drama ranged from a decent dragon to a laughable giant bird.
5. The Longest Promise was simply too long, especially the slow moving first half, and the dragged out ending! Too many lovey dovey or fluff scenes given to the main couple at the expense of the plot, and not enough of 1 through 4 above. They could of easily done all of the above while also doing a proper romance.
6. Literally all the main characters were obsessed with a specific person leading to their downfall or using it as justification for their actions. This trope got old real quick and was just bad writing.
I would rate this a 5/10 but given that I at least somewhat enjoyed it, I will bump it up to a 6.