I watched Dashing Youth (少年白马醉春风 / Shao Nian Bai Ma Zui Chun Feng) because it is a prequel to The Blood Of Youth which has garnered largely postiive reviews. Because there is a connection between the 2 titles, I decided to give the prequel a try. But you don’t have to watch both to understand the story. Both dramas are independent of each other as the stories focus on different generations of the characters. My Dashing Youth review is laid out below.
My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 40
Type: Wuxia, Fantasy
Aired: July 2024
Images Credit: Douban Movie
The Cast Of Dashing Youth
- Neo Hou Ming Hao as Bai Dong Jun / Baili Dong Jun
- He Yu as Ye Yun / Ye Ding Zhi
- Hu Lian Xin as Yue Yao / Yin Luo Xia
- Xia Zhi Guang as Sikong Chang Feng
- Bai Shu as Xiao Ruo Feng / Mr. Feng Hua / Prince Lang Ya
- Wanyan Luo Rong as Lei Meng Sha / Mr. Zhuo Mo
- Jiang Zhen Yu as Yi Wen Jun
- Huai Wen as Wen Hu Jiu
- Gao Ming Yang as Gu Chen
- Jiang Kai as Xiao Zhong Jing / Emperor Tai’an
- Samuel Liu as Wang Yi Xing
- Qiu Xin Zhi as Li Chang Sheng
Main Characters
Bai Dong Jun / Baili Dong Jun
Dong Jun is the owner of Donggui Tavern. He regards himself as a brewmaster with an ambition to be a famous one. He comes from a pretigious military family and has a playful attitude. Dong Jun shows a low level of martial arts skills and is seen as harmless initially. His grandfather is the Great General Baili Luo Chen as well as Marquis of Zhenxi who dotes on Dong Jun. His father is Baili Cheng Feng who is the heir while his mother, Wen Luo Yu, is from the influential Wen family which has expertise in poisons.
Ye Yun / Ye Ding Zhi
Ding Zhi is the ony grandson of the late Great General Ye. His real name is Ye Yun. He has been keeping a low profile as he is supposed to have been executed when his grandfather was accused of treason. Ding Zhi is a great martial artist.
Yue Yao / Yin Luo Xia
Yue Yao is from a royal family from Sky’s Beyond. Her original homeland is in Beique which was conquered by Beili in the past. She is a compassionate young lady who is hesitant about starting wars but has a duty to her homeland. She is assisted by Mo Qi Xuan, the White-Haired Deity, and Zi Yu Ji, the Marquis Purple Robe. Yue Yao also has a younger sister, Yue Qing.
Supporting Characters
Sikong Chang Feng
Chang Feng is a waiter at Donggui Tavern after meeting Dong Jun. But they are more like friends. Chang Feng is actually a traveling martial artist who wields a spear. He has a weak heart and does not expect to live long.
Xiao Ruo Feng / Mr. Feng Hua / Prince Lang Ya
Ruo Feng is the 9th Prince of Beili. He is also known as Mr. Feng Hua and is a disciple of the Ji Xia Academy. He is considered the most talented among all the disciples of Mr. Li and one of Beili’s Eight Young Masters.
Beili’s Eight Young Masters
They are a tightly knit group of martial artists who belong to the Ji Xia Academy.
The Eight Young Masters of Beili include Lei Meng Sha (Mr. Zhuo Mo), Gu Jian Men (Mr. Ling Yun), Luo Xuan (Mr. Qing Ge), Liu Yue, and Mo Xiao He (Mr. Mo Chen). Lei Meng Sha is a chatterbox and married to the Sword Heart Tomb’s heiress.
Gu Jian Men is the Second Young Master of the noble Gu family of Beili and heir after the death of his beloved elder brother. Luo Xuan is an elegant man while Mo Xiao He is considered the ugliest one of the eight. Liu Yue is considered the opposite of Mo Xiao He but is always seen behind a veil.
Yi Wen Jun
Yi Wen Jun is the daughter of Shadow Sect’s leader and childhood friend of Ding Zhi and Dong Jun.
Wen Hu Jiu
Wen Hu Jiu is Dong Jun’s maternal uncle. He has a loving relationship with his nephew. Wen Hu Jiu is also a poison expert. The Wen family is an influential family.
Gu Chen
Gu Chen is the Scholarly Deity and Dong Jun’s secret master. He is a powerful martial artist from Western Chu which was conquered by Beili 15 years ago.
Xiao Zhong Jing / Emperor Tai’an
Emperor Tai’an is the ruler of Beili. He is suspicious of certain powerful personalities who he fears would rebel. Zhuo Qing is the Head of the Five Eunuchs in his palace.
Wang Yi Xing
Wang Yi Xing is the principal disciple of Lyu Su Zhen from Mount Wangcheng.
Li Chang Sheng / Mr. Li
Mr. Li is the Master of the Ji Xia Academy. He is also a top swordsman in the martial arts world.
Synopsis
Dong Jun comes from a prestigious military family in Beili. His grandfather is a Great General who dotes on him and prefers that he leads a carefree life. Hence, Dong Jun is playful and mischievous from young. A chance encounter with a powerful deity as a young lad results in Dong Jun being his disciple and learning the art of being a brewmaster. This is in line with his agreement with his “late” best friend, Ye Yun, to be a Liquor Deity. Ye Yun is presumed dead after his grandfather was accused of treason and the Ye family was executed.
In his quest to become a famous brewmaster, Dong Jun encounters various episodes that make him reconsider his carefree attitude. He also meets Ye Yun again and their friendship remains as strong as ever. Both of them are natural martial artists with the ability to achieve immense power and strength. Ye Yun also reunites with his beloved who has been betrothed to a Beili prince.
However, palace politics and Beique’s plan to regain their homeland from Beili after being defeated in a war make Ye Yun and his beloved a pawn in the greater scheme of things. He lashes out in revenge which puts him at odds with his best friend, Dong Jun, who wants them to remain righteous.
Dashing Youth Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)
Dashing Youth has a bittersweet ending. Ye Yun has turned demonic to take revenge against those who have harmed him. He takes over Sky’s Beyond sect and unites the demonic tribes to go to war against Beili. This causes many deaths along the way. Dong Jun manages to defeat Ye Yun in a duel in Episode 39 when the latter turns up at the palace to kill Xiao Ruo Jin who is now the Emperor. When Ye Yun falls unconscious after the defeat, Dong Jun carries him to safety and disallows the Emperor’s men to capture his friend.
Ye Yun kills himself in Episode 40 after his demonic energy is dispelled with Wen Jun and Dong Jun by his side. Sky’s Beyond is now leaderless with Yue Yao considered “missing” as she was never interested in starting a war with Beili while Yue Qing committed suicide in prison. Dong Jun strikes a deal with Sky’s Beyond to restrict them to the icy mountains for 12 years. In return, others are also barred from pursuing them into their territory. In a bonus episode, Ye Yun and Wen Jun’s son, An Shi, is given by Dong Jun to Elder Wang You to take care of in the mountains for 12 years. Elder Wang You gives An Shi a new name, Wu Xin.
Wen Jun returns to the palace to resume her life as Xiao Ruo Jin’s consort to ensure An Shi’s safety. She knows Xiao Ruo Jin will hunt for An Shi if she doesn’t return to the palace. Dong Jun will return to his hometown with Yue Yao to get married to bring the drama to a happy end.
When Did The Leads Get Together?
Yue Yao lets Dong Jun knows that she is Ms. Fairy in Episode 23 after he had been honest to her that he had fallen for Luo Xia which is her assumed identity. Yue Yao also tells him why she approached him as she is Beique’s princess and needs an innate martial artist to help Beique to recover their homeland. But she is having second thoughts about making used of him to start another war with Beili. She wants to try to establish a new home for her people instead. Dong Jun doesn’t mind her deception as he finds her real and loves her for who she is. They confess to each other then.
Ye Yun & Wen Jun
Ye Yun meets Wen Jun again in Episode 12 after he ends up in her backyard while escaping from Sky’s Beyond’s martial artist. Wen Jun learns his real identity in Episode 15 after Ye Yun has become a wanted person due to being the grandson of the “traitorous” General Ye. They were betrothed to each other when they were kids and before the downfall of the Ye family. Both of them are still very much in love with each other although Wen Jun is now Xiao Ruo Jin’s fiancee.
Ye Yun promises Wen Jun that he will return to take her away before her wedding to the prince. But he is defeated by Xiao Ruo Feng on Wen Jun’s wedding day and fails to stop the wedding in Episode 25. Wen Jun is pregnant with Xiao Ruo Feng’s baby in Episode 27 and subsequently gives birth to a prince. State enemies including the Grand Eunuch and Beique forces try to create chaos by taking away Wen Jun from Xiao Ruo Jin in Episode 28 to reunite her with Ye Yun in Episode 29.
Separation
The couple leads a happy life together in the mountains and Wen Jun becomes pregnant in Episode 33. They subsequently have a son, An Shi. Yue Qing is jealous as she is also in love with Ye Yun. 2 years later, she carries out a plan to get Wen Jun to leave Ye Yun by convincing her that her royal son is gravely ill. Ye Yun becomes incensed and turns demonic after returning home to find Wen Jun has gone back to the palace. He listens to Yue Qing and goes to Sky’s Beyond to become more powerful in Episode 34 but imprisons her in Episode 36 after learning that she was involved in Wen Jun’s disappearance.
Wen Jun knows she couldn’t leave after returning to the palace. Otherwise, she will only implicate those who help her to do so. Ye Yun becomes obsessed over his loss of Wen Jun and wants his revenge. He becomes increasingly cruel and demonic until his defeat to Dong Jun in a fight in Episode 39. Ye Yun commits suicide and dies with Wen Jun beside him in Episode 40 due to all the deaths and destruction that he had caused.
Succession
Emperor Tai’an is seriously ill in Episode 32 which results in a power struggle. Prince Qing rebels but the rebellion is successfully put down by Xiao Ruo Feng. Prince Qing chooses to die with his personal guard rather than be arrested. Emperor Tai’an wants Xiao Ruo Feng to be his heir but the latter destroys the edict and declares his brother, Xiao Ruo Jin, as the successor instead. Hence, Xiao Ruo Jin becomes the Emperor after their father died. Xiao Ruo Feng was never interested in the throne. He always thinks that his brother will make a better Emperor than he would.
Dashing Youth Review – Too Many Characters
To be frank, I fell asleep a few times while watching Dashing Youth. It fails to get me engaged and I couldn’t fully immersed myself in the story. As a result, it was a drag watching it at times and it took me almost 2 weeks to complete the whole drama. The problem to me is the big number of characters that appear which don’t really add much value to the plot. They are introduced and then disappear from the story. Yes, they might be people that the protagonists meet along the way in their life journey but the large number means their stories and corresponding side plots become rather shallow.
For instance, the story begins with the rivalry between 2 noble families and the plan by one to control the other through a forced marriage arrangement. It would easily lead you to think that this would be the foundation to the story but nope, it fizzles out after 2 episodes. Such side plots are littered throughout the drama. Thus, there is no real anchor to the story for more than 20 episodes. It is just a continuous introduction of new characters as both the male leads find their way around before they turn into powerful martial artists.
To me, Dashing Youth only starts to get more interesting around Episode 25. This is when the story begins to really move. I guess this drama would be good if you don’t mind the scattered nature of the storytelling. The scattered bits are there to form the whole and you might like them for their fleetingness. But if you want in-depth storytelling, this could be a bore.
Simple Plot Without Depth
Basically, Dashing Youth is about the life journey of 2 best friends. One leads a carefree life. The other is presumed dead and has a rough time due to political schemings that resulted in his family’s downfall and later, the loss of his beloved to those in power. It is a pretty simple story and has the typical palace power struggle unlike the complexities of Joy Of Life. But all the political machinations are reduced to superficial accounts and hasty narrations. There is no depth to the power struggle plot whether in terms of the characters involved or their schemings.
Instead, a lot of time is spent on subplots which is distracting. The main arcs are then left hanging as numerous detours are taken. As a result, the story lacks intensity emotionally unlike The Double which is riveting with its strong focus. I feel that much could have been done to develop a more profound story for the main characters in Dashing Youth. As it is, it is hard to be moved by them as all the happenings just skim the surface as the story moves along. This includes the romance which is not as great as expected.
No Great Romance
If you are going to watch Dashing Youth for the romance, then I think it would be better to give this a miss. There are 2 main couples in the drama but their romances do not take up that much time overall. This is despite the fact that one of the relationships is tragic and is the main ingredient to a major event towards the end. The woman’s character is not that well-developed and the reason for a forced marriage is not well-justified. At the very least, you will wonder why a supposedly good character is adamant that his brother gets the girl when it is clear that she has no love for him. You don’t feel that justice has been served when that move is the seed that causes a war later on.
The other pair has a less dramatic storyline. In fact, their romance is pretty bland to me. You would expect that the lovers would be facing a lot of heartaches along the way as they are on opposing camps but this is not to be. Their start may indicate so but their problem is very quickly resolved in a mild manner. And that is all to it to their romance.
Overall, you can say that Dashing Youth is just not a romance drama but more about youthful idealism and friendship in a martial arts adventure. It is also provides well-rounded background to its sequel, The Blood Of Youth.
Acting
I first got to know Neo Hou from A Girl Like Me and then saw him again in Back From the Brink. His good looks will easily melt hearts and he does it again in Dashing Youth to me. But on top of his handsome face, he brings the character to life in this drama as well. He is very natural in portraying a confident, mischievous and cocky Dong Jun and it is fun watching him throughout the drama.
Neo Hou also strikes up a great partnership with He Yu who has a minor role in The Legend Of Shen Li. The character that He Yu plays is more complex as Ye Yun is a conflicted soul. He wants to be righteous but fate isn’t kind to him. He is charismatic enough for you not to hate him despite his cruelty.
All the actors don’t have as much screen time as the 2 male leads including Hu Lian Xin who plays the female protagonist, Yue Yao. Her character is reduced to a supporting role to Neo Hou’s Dong Jun and there is really not much room for her to showcase her acting talent in the drama to me.
My Verdict – If You Love The Blood Of Youth…
If you love the sequel, then I guess Dashing Youth is a must-watch. At the minimum, you get to know the story of Wu Xin’s parents and how he ends up being brought up by a monk. So, Dashing Youth is the story of the generation before The Blood Of Youth. There is a strong connection there which ties both dramas together. Therefore, it makes sense to watch both titles.
However, Dashing Youth is lacking in some ways compared to its sequel. It has the potential to be the same or better than The Blood Of Youth but is marred by the messy storytelling that takes viewers on unnecessary detours with shallow subplots. This is the main weakness of the drama as far as I’m concerned. As a result, it is hard for me to sustain my interest throughout the 40 episodes especially in the first half of the drama. The second half is better as the story starts to pick up but the ending still leaves a bitter after taste as it doesn’t give you a sense of fulfillment and justice.
So, for this Dashing Youth review, I would give it a rating of 7.5/10. It has its fun moments and great camaraderie among the guys to make it watchable. But it is not a great production to me. The duels are dependent on CGIs to make them stand out rather than beautifully choreographed fighting for a martial arts adventure. On the flip side, the CGIs are done well and dashing actors are aplenty which befits the title. You can give this a try but it might also be good to lower your expectations a little compared to its sequel before you start.
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