Back From The Brink Review

Back From The Brink (护心) is another highly rated fantasy drama that shouldn’t escape your attention. It has a tinge of xianxia to it but not exactly the same. While I’m not a huge fantasy/xianxia fan, there are times when it does make for a really captivating story. So, I started this with a neutral mindset. I didn’t bother to check out the synopsis but just dove headlong into it. Overall, I think this does deserve compliments and my Back From The Brink review below will explain why.

My rating: 8/10
Episodes: 40
Type: Fantasy, Xianxia, Romance
Aired: May 2023
Images Credit: Douban Movie

The Cast Of Back From The Brink

• Neo Hou Ming Hao as Tian Yao
• Zhou Ye as Yan Hui
• Yang Rong as Su Ying
• Riley Wang Yi Lun as Bai Xiao Sheng
• Chen Xin Yu as Xian Ge
• Zuo Ye as Feng Qian Shuo
• Liu Yao Yuan as Zhu Li
• Zhang Kai Ying as Huan Xiao Yan
• Kenny Kwan Chi Bun as Chang Lan / Chen Yi
• Ji Chen as Lu Mu Sheng / General Lu
• Ken Chang Zhi Yao as Ling Xiao
• Xia Tian as Zhao Yu
• Long Zheng Xuan as Ling Fei
• Guo Yang as Pu Fang
• Yang Guang as Yan Bu Huo

Main Characters

Tian Yao

Tian Yao is a millennium spiritual dragon spirit who ruled over the Dragon Valley and the elves. He had a pure heart originally and rarely ventured out of the valley which made him trusting and gullible. However, he has immense powers as a dragon spirit.

Yan Hui

Yan Hui was an abandoned child who was subsequently raised by Ling Xiao of Chenxing Mountain Sect as his disciple. She is a free-spirited and cheerful girl despite her childhood experience. Yan Hui is outspoken and smart but has weak cultivation powers. She also holds no prejudice against spirits despite being a disciple of a Taoist sect who sees spirits as evil.

Supporting Characters

Su Ying

Su Ying is the leader of the Guanghan Sect which is affiliated with the Chenxing Mountain Sect. She has strong cultivation powers and hates spirits. Su Ying is obsessed with her lover and is a spiteful woman. Yun Meng is her personal assistant.

Bai Xiao Sheng

Xiao Sheng is from the Shadow Clan and has dark powers. He is a mysterious man who is looking for the perfect pair of human and spirit lovers. Xiao Sheng is clever and teasing but will not hesitate to kill to achieve his mission.

Xian Ge

Xian Ge runs an entertainment business in Yongzhou City. She is also Yan Hui’s good friend. Xian Ge’s subordinates are spirits but she treats them well.

Feng Qian Shuo

Feng Qian Shuo is the young master of Tianxiang Workshop which is an incense maker. He seems to be an idle person who keeps taking concubines. But he only has deep feelings for Xian Ge. Feng Ming is his uncle who runs Tianxiang Workshop.

Zhu Li

Zhu Li is the Crown Prince of Qing Qiu which is the nine-tailed fox tribe. He is an impulsive and not so brainy Crown Prince who lacks proper training and guidance. But Zhu Li is harmless and upright.

Huan Xiao Yan

Xiao Yan is from the Phantom Clan in Misty Forest. She is a forthright and honest young spirit.

Chang Lan

Chang Lan is Zhu Li’s uncle and the regent of Qing Qiu. He is a blind man who seems kind and patient. He is also Tian Yao’s friend and they knew each other when he stayed in Dragon Valley for a period of time.

Chen Yi

Chen Yi is Yun Xi and Zhu Li’s father and the official ruler of Qing Qiu. However, he has been in retreat for the last 10 years with nobody having access to him except for a select few. His wife was Xue Lin who had died years earlier.

Lu Mu Sheng / General Lu

General Lu used to be a capable commander who fought against the spirits. But he has lost his memory and is now a scholar who is married to the Princess of Qing Qiu, Yun Xi. He is also Su Ying’s ex-lover.

Ling Xiao

Ling Xiao is the acting leader of Chenxing Mountain Sect. His favorite disciples are Zi Chen and Yan Hui. He is a reserved man with much responsibilities and burdens. His master is the founder of the sect, Master Qing Guang.

Zhao Yu

Zhao Yu is the Defense Chief of Qing Qiu. He appears to be antagonistic towards Chang Lan and Zhu Li.

Ling Fei

Ling Fei is an elder of Chenxing Mountain Sect. She is also Su Ying’s younger sister. Ling Fei is a bully who likes to take it out on the spirits captured.

Pu Fang

Pu Fang is a physician of Qing Qiu. She is also Chang Lan’s personal doctor.

Yan Bu Huo / Elder Yan

Elder Yan is an elder of Qing Qiu. He had been tasked by Xue Lin to guard the Ghostly Eulogy which is her work on countering dark aura. Elder Yan is a stickler for convention and rules but has Qing Qiu’s interest at heart.

Synopsis

Tian Yao was a pure-hearted spiritual dragon spirit who was betrayed by his lover, Su Ying, on their wedding night. Su Ying wanted to kill him to get his dragon scale armor and Heart Protecting Scale to save her sick lover. To prevent her from getting the Heart Protecting Scale, he fused it with his inner core, extracted it from his body, and threw it up into the sky. He was on the verge of death. Su Ying broke him up into 5 parts and sealed the parts in different places.

On the same night, Yan Hui was abandoned by his mother and floated down a river. She was born with a defective heart but Tian Yao’s Heart Protecting Scale fell on her and saved her from death. Yan Hui subsequently became a member of Chenxing Mountain Sect and Ling Xiao’s disciple.

20 years after the Heart Protecting Scale was embedded in Yan Hui, she was expelled from Chenxing Mountain after going against an elder. Tian Yao could sense his Heart Protecting Scale in her and needed her to retrieve his other body parts. After spending time with Tian Yao to help him get back his bones and horns, Yan Hui began to develop feelings for him.

However, Su Ying was still fixated on getting the Heart Protecting Scale to ensure her lover has a long life. This put Tian Yao and Yan Hui’s relationship to the test since the artifact is inside Yan Hui and keeping her alive. At the same time, the Dark Lord was trying to break out from his seal and plotting to achieve his aim.

Back From The Brink Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Back From The Brink has a happy ending. After sacrificing herself to defeat the Dark Lord and lifting the dark aura that had engulfed the world, Yan Hui faded into dust. Tian Yao was devastated. A number of years later, he was traveling around to distribute his dragon cultivation techniques and meeting old friends. After paying a visit to Chenxing Mountain, he was loitering around and saw a stall selling dumplings which is Yan Hui’s favorite food. He thought he saw her but was mistaken. But she appeared in front of him instead and they were reunited. The drama ends with the couple kissing.

For a more detailed look at the story, you can check out my Back To The Brink episode summary.

When Did The Couple Get Together?

Yan Hui first confessed to Tian Yao in Episode 6 but she was then under the influence of the fox essence which she had unknowingly consumed. He rejected her anyway. He told her that he couldn’t love another after what happened with Su Ying.

After the fox essence was purged from her system, Yan Hui still felt something for Tian Yao. As she spent more time with him and helping him to retrieve some of his body parts, she knew that she had fallen for him in Episode 14. Yan Hui confessed her love to him in Episode 16 but he rejected her again. Although he also had some feelings for her, he didn’t want her to be drawn into his quest for revenge. He simply wanted her to lead a peaceful life.

After Tian Yao was forced to stab Yan Hui to extract the Heart Protecting Scale from her, she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. But they still have feelings for each other. Circumstances forced them to get married and they had their wedding ceremony in Episode 24 although Yan Hui insisted that it was just going to be an act.

A terrifying event that made Yan Hui had an illusion that Tian Yao had died made her expressed her true feelings for him in Episode 27. They became a real couple and she kissed him to signify that their relationship was for life.

Is There Any Breakup And Love Triangle?

There is no breakup after the couple got together. The lovers were only forced to separate temporarily after Yan Hui sacrificed herself to save everyone in Episode 40. She re-emerged at the end of the drama to reunite with Tian Yao.

Xiao Sheng was also in love with Yan Hui and confessed to her in Episode 22. He was fighting with Tian Yao for Yan Hui’s affections and both men were jealous of each other. Xiao Sheng told Yan Hui that he had fallen for her after she saved him earlier. But Yan Hui rejected him outright. Xiao Sheng didn’t give up and continued to try to get close to Yan Hui. However, Yan Hui only has feelings for Tian Yao. Xiao Sheng also could see that the couple had gone through a lot together and gave them his blessings in Episode 38.

Xiao Sheng’s Background

As a member of the Shadow Clan, Xiao Sheng was deemed an evil child who will bring harm the the village. Hence, he was abandoned by his mother and gave to the Dark Lord as sacrificial offering. This part is revealed in Episode 13 when Xiao Sheng was trapped in an illusionary dream in Misty Forest.

Xiao Sheng was being controlled by the Dark Lord because his true effigy had been used by the latter to create a shadow robe. The robe could protect the Dark Lord from external injuries and could also be used to torture Xiao Sheng. This is explained in Episode 27. Xiao Sheng got back his true effigy in Episode 38 after Tian Yao defeated the Dark Lord in a duel. At the end of Episode 40, Xiao Sheng was busy playing matchmaker to encourage a pair of spirt and human lovers to be together.

The Dark Lord’s Background

The Dark Lord’s background was partly told in Episode 27 through Chen Yi. His full story was seen by Yan Hui when she was pulled into his mind’s eye in Episode 38. The Dark Lord was an orphan who was feared and ostracized by others. He was saved by Xue Lin from being drowned in a river. Xue Lin took care of him and he became obsessed with her. The Dark Lord wanted her to only focus on him and no one else. Thus, he felt betrayed when he saw her and Chen Yi together.

Xue Lin knew he was consumed by dark demons and wanted to cure him. She came up with the Ghostly Eulogy cultivation method to counter him when he started creating havoc. When nothing seemed to be able to stop him, Xue Lin tricked him to see her. But together with Chen Yi and Master Qing Guang, they tried to seal him up in Xue Lin’s compass. However, the Dark Lord became incensed. Master Qing Guang had no choice but to seal up the Dark Lord inside his own body. He then went back to Chenxing Mountain’s Stairhaven and used his powers to suppress the Dark Lord inside a barrier.

However, the Dark Lord slowly devoured Master Qing Guang’s powers and took over his body. He then used the master’s body to convince Su Ying into killing Tian Yao for his dragon scale armor. He also used the same trick on Ling Xiao to get him to destroy the Heart Protecting Scale. Ling Xiao thought the Heart Protecting Scale would enable the Dark Lord to regain his powers and break out from his seal. In actual fact, the Dark Lord was afraid of it because it would give Tian Yao the powers to destroy him.

What Happened To The Dark Lord

Everyone thought that the Dark Lord was defeated in Episode 38. But Tian Yao only destroyed the Dark Lord’s body form. The Dark Lord was feeding on the dark aura and resentment of the dead which he had accumulated. Basically, he was an embodiment of evil. The limitless dark demons of the dead gave him immense powers which was difficult to destroy. That is why he was plotting to start a war between the spirits and Taoists through Chang Lan and Ling Fei which will then cause more deaths. He would also scheme to get people to die with deep resentment in them such as Su Ying.

But Yan Hui managed to figure out how to switch her dark aura and Heart Protecting Scale to defeat the Dark Lord in Episode 40. She used her dark powers with her Heart Protecting Scale to transform the dark aura into powerful dragon fire. This ate up the Dark Lord as both the dark aura and dragon fire are opposing yin and yang forces. Hence, the Dark Lord was destroyed and faded away.

Side Couples

Feng Qian Shuo loved Xian Ge from the start but she didn’t want anything to do with him at first. This is because she had her own agenda which ran contrary to his. Xian Ge was Chen Yi’s foster daughter. She grew up in Qing Qiu and was indebted to them. Thus, although she is human, she has always been kind towards spirits. Her mission was to save as many spirits as she can from the Taoist clans which included the Qing Qiu princess who had been captured.

Feng Qian Shuo’s uncle, Feng Ming, also hated spirits and was working for Su Ying. Feng Qian Shuo didn’t want to get involved with Feng Ming’s business initially but was compelled to help Xian Ge although he didn’t understand her need to help spirits. As he got more deeply involved, he could see Feng Ming’s evilness. He eventually killed Feng Ming when the latter wanted to take his life. A phoenix spirit that his late father had kept helped him to overcome the danger.

From then on, Feng Qian Shuo no longer has any prejudice towards spirits. He got together with Xian Ge in Episode 12 after they got out of danger. Xian Ge was pregnant in Episode 33 and by the end of Episode 40, they were happily married with a son and a daughter.

When Zhu Li and Xiao Yan first met, they were always bickering. But Zhu Li eventually fell for Xian Yan and asked her to be his queen in Episode 29. He promised to give her a grand wedding in Episode 33. At the end of Episode 40, they were already married with a baby on the way.

Other Key Events

• Yan Hui was infused with dark powers in Episode 17 after the Dark Lord saved her life. Tian Yao had stabbed her to extract the Heart Protecting Scale to save the elves whom had been taken hostage by Su Ying. Xiao Sheng thought Yan Hui would die and was forced to turn to the Dark Lord to save her.
• Zhao Yu willingly died in Episode 24 to cover up for Chang Lan. He pitied Chang Lan for being the younger royal twin who had to be imprisoned and made blind to conform to Qing Qiu’s tradition. Hence, he treated him like his own child and helped him to control Qing Qiu and kept his elder brother confined.
• Chang Lan was identified as the Visual Spell Master and working for the Dark Lord in Episode 24. He was defeated by Tian Yao, Yan Hui, and Xiao Yan in Episode 28. He then chose to die rather than being imprisoned.
• Tian Yao froze up Su Ying in Episode 17. But she was awakened by Ling Fei in Episode 30. The Dark Lord’s subordinate tricked her to awaken her sister which resulted in her losing her cultivation powers.
• Su Ying killed Ling Fei in Episode 34 after her subordinates reported that Ling Fei had killed their sect members to gather dark aura for the Dark Lord.
• Chen Yi died in Episode 37 to stop Su Ying from taking away General Lu.
• General Lu stabbed Su Ying to stop her from harming Tian Yao and Yan Hui during a duel in Episode 37. He had no intention to prolong his life to be with her. He then asked Tian Yao to end his life for him with his dragon fire. Su Ying was devastated and died a bitter woman moments later.

Back From The Brink Review – Kind Of Cute

Back From The Brink is unexpectedly cute to me. It is not the typical rom-com like Royal Rumors that relies on cuteness and silliness to make it sell. The drama actually has a cohesive plot to it which will make you hook. In that sense, it is plot driven with a substantial storyline. It is the characters and some of their dialogues that make it cute at times to take the monotony away from what is essentially a serious story. For instance, the second male lead is playful and teasing. Hence, the tone of the drama is not always so dry to make it easier to sit through all the 40 episodes unlike Till The End Of The Moon which is serious all the way.

There is a strong foundation to the plot itself. It starts off on a tragic note with a lover’s betrayal. So, you will expect it will have a revenge angle to it. But it is also not as simplistic as that. In fact, the revenge is really just a side dish in the greater scheme of things. This is where the story opens up to greater possibilities which is not what you would expect when it all begins in the first episode. The way the story develops is what makes it interesting because it is not as predictable as you would have anticipated.

While the story itself is of good material, it also needs to be effectively executed on screen. Overall, the producers did a fairly good job at it. They didn’t let it drag and the whole story is still understandable despite some complexities.

Not A Passionate Romance

Back From The Brink has a strong romance flavor to it but you are not going to get a lot of passion and steamy kisses in the drama. It is okay to me but making it more heartfelt would be perfect. The girl is outspoken and knows what she wants. So, you won’t get the annoyance of seeing an indecisive and shy female character dilly-dallying over a confession.

The guy is more reserved but loves and protects the girl in his own way. The romance will take a backseat to the circumstances confronting them in many instances. Therefore, there are not many lovey-dovey scenes to make it sweet. It is not that kind of drama that puts romance at the forefront whereby the screen time is taken up by romantic fillers that doesn’t add anything substantive to the plot like in Road Home. Instead, the story drives the drama forward and there is a reason why things happen.

Therefore, if you are looking for a purely sweet romance and a breezy watch, this may be lacking in that department. Basically, you would just get the idea that the couple love one another deeply and would sacrifice themselves to protect each other. In short, it is not an emotionally-moving and passionate love story to me. It is just enough to make you root for the pair and hope that they end up together.

Not A Typical Xianxia Drama

The other noteworthy factor of Back To The Brink is the xianxia element to the story. But it doesn’t have the typical xianxia feel to it which makes it refreshing in a way. That means no heavenly realm with its hypocritical immortals that we have seen countless times from Immortal Samsara to Love And Destiny. So, instead of immortals, we have cultivators and spirits.

In consistency with that, the time span is also much shorter. While thousands of years is normal in a typical xianxia drama, Back To The Brink works with a much shorter timeline of 20 years which is more relatable. After all, it takes only 20 years for a mortal to become an adult. Thus, the drama doesn’t have a strong xianxia foundation to it in case you are looking for such. I see it as more fantasy-like with its spirits, elves, mortals, and cultivators.

It is also not as serious as what xianxia dramas tend to be. Just like The Starry Love, it incorporates a bit more fun and laughs into the story. At least, that makes it more enjoyable to watch and less monotonous.

Acting And Chemistry

I like Zhou Ye’s portrayal of Yan Hui in this drama. She shows the character’s idealistic and stubborn side in a convincing manner. Yan Hui becomes a very likable character that is easy to root for with Zhou Ye’s acting skills. The actress simply brought the character to life in the drama. This is why I also feel that she outshone Neo Hou as her partner. The guy is more subdued in the way he played Tian Yao. While the character is more reserved, Neo Hou lacks the onscreen presence to make him more commanding. Or perhaps it is better that way because the more muted portrayal could be more suitable for such a pure-hearted character as Tian Yao.

Whatever it is, the actor’s good looks will make up for any inadequacies just like in his other drama, A Girl Like Me. And the good thing is there is sufficient chemistry between him and Zhou Ye to make the pairing watchable and easy to root for. They are cute and look good together which will make you forget all the weaknesses that you may have noticed along the way.

My Verdict – Watch!

A watch is certainly recommended for Back To The Brink. It does have tropes of love obsession and dark demon but the overall story still has a few positive aspects to it which include humor, warm friendships, and likable characters. The main plot is pretty solid but the subplots may be lacking in depth. For instance, the real villain’s history is not convincing enough to result in that level of hate and his character becomes very 2-dimensional as a result. Another character’s love obsession is over-exploited to the point of being repetitive.

However, the story does not feel draggy to make you lose interest. It moves forward at a consistent pace so that you will be motivated to continue following the protagonists’ adventure. The fact that the pair has the right chemistry and looks splendid together also help a lot to make the drama more pleasurable to watch. The humor adds to the enjoyment and hence, the whole story becomes entertaining despite the tropes and other weaknesses.

So, for this Back To The Brink review, I think a rating of 8/10 would be fair. If it had been more heart-wrenching in the romance department and had more in-depth subplots, this could have been a real masterpiece. There is certainly room for more given the plot which was not fully capitalized on. But it is still better than most and more than good enough to give it a go as it is.

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