Legend of Fuyao Review

Legend Of Fuyao (扶摇) is a 2018 production and I have been debating whether to watch it for the longest time because of the sheer length of the drama. I don’t mind watching historical or costume genres but I hate abandoning a long drama halfway through. So, I tend to be very careful about starting dramas that run for 60 episodes or more. It is also the very same reason I’m hesitating over the more recent Royal Nirvana but that is a discussion for another day. Right now, let’s delve into the Legend Of Fuyao review below.

My Rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 66
Type: Romance, Costume
Aired: Jun 2018
Images Credit: Tencent

The Cast Of Legend Of Fuyao

Yang Mi as Fuyao

Fuyao is an orphan and raised as a servant in the Xuanyuan sect. Although she belongs to the lowest caste in the sect, she secretly learns basic martial art skills from her senior, Jingchen. Fuyao is mischievous and adventurous with a rebellious streak in her.

Ethan Juan Ching Tien as Zhang Sun Wuji

Wuji is the Crown Prince of the Tianquan Kingdom which also oversees the affairs of the other lands to ensure peace and prosperity thrive. He is also the chosen one to look for and kill the person born with a 5-layered spell who can awaken the evil Di Fei Tian. Wuji is capable and responsible but starts giving in to his feelings when he meets Fuyao.

Xuanyuan Sect

Huang You Ming as Yan Jingchen

Jingchen is a senior disciple and heir of the Xuanyuan sect. He grew up together with Fuyao and they have feelings for each other. Thus, Jingchen is always protecting Fuyao from trouble which creates jealousy from Pei Yuan. However, Jingchen is forced by his father, Yan Lie, to marry Pei Yuan and he is too weak to resist.

Li Yi Xiao as Pei Yuan

Pei Yuan is also a disciple of the Xuanyuan sect. She is in love with Jingchen and wants him for herself despite knowing that he has feelings for Fuyao. Pei Yuan is also Qi Zhen’s niece and this works in her favour to force Jingchen to marry her. But she still harbors a deep hatred for Fuyao. Pei Yuan is a jealous and demanding person with little respect for others.

Jiang Long as Xiao Qi

Xiao Qi is a servant of the Xuanyuan sect and is close to Fuyao who treats him like a brother. They left the sect and explored many adventures together. Xiao Qi develops a crush on Ya Lan Zhu when she comes looking for Beiye.

Qin Yan as Uncle Zhou

Uncle Zhou is the head of the Xuanyou division of the Xuanyuan sect. He oversees the servants and has a deep bond with Fuyao despite his seemingly fierce disciplinary punishments for her misbehavior. Uncle Zhou is the one that raised Fuyao up when she was found abandoned.

Taiyuan Kingdom

Leon Lai Yi as Zong Yue

Zong Yue is a divine physician with great healing skills. He is also Wuji’s good friend. Zong Yue can be cold towards others and he hides a hatred as a result of witnessing his family’s massacre when he was a kid. His aim is to look for his younger brother and exact revenge on the man who betrayed his father, Prince Wenyi.

Zhang Dong Sheng as Xuan Yuan Ren

Xuan Yuan Ren is Taiyuan’s emperor. But he is sickly and is on his deathbed. His deteriorating health sparks the tussle for the throne that involves Qi Zhen and Wuji.

Liu Yi Jun as Qi Zhen

Qi Zhen is the Prime Minister of Taiyuan Kingdom. He is a powerful man with an ambition to seize the throne. He is also the man who betrayed his good friend, Prince Wenyi, in order to gain the emperor’s trust and the Dragonscale Armor which is needed to keep his daughter alive.

Leo Liang Yi Mu as Yun Hen

Yun Hen is Qi Zhen’s adopted son and serves as his trusted assistant. He has deep respect and gratitude for his adoptive father. But Yun Hen is also Prince Wenyi’s younger son and brother to Zong Yue. He has feelings for Qi Yun whom he grew up with.

Yuan Yu Xuan as Qi Yun

Qi Yun is Qi Zhen’s daughter. She was born sickly and her life is saved by the Dragonscale Armor that she wears. This sacred armor is a heritage of Prince Wenyi’s family and was taken following their massacre. Qi Yun is unaware of her father’s cruel deeds. She also has feelings for Zong Yue since she was young.

Hu Ke as Xuan Yuan Xiao

Xuan Yuan Xiao is an elder princess of Taiyuan who has been married off to Zhangsun Jia of Tianquan. But she has secluded herself in an abandoned part of the palace grounds in Taiyuan after she returns and has developed an unsound mind. She has a daughter named Lian Er.

Tiansha Kingdom

Vengo Gao Wei Guang as Zhan Beiye

Beiye is also known as Prince Lie of the Tiansha kingdom. He is the younger brother of Tiansha’s current emperor, Zhan Nancheng. However, Beiye is often seen as a threat and his brother prefers him dead. Beiye is a fierce general and respected by the people. He has feelings for Fuyao whom he admires for her courage and loyalty.

Zhang Ya Qin as Ya Lan Zhu

Ya Lan Zhu is a princess of the Qiongye tribe. She has been in love with Beiye since she was young and has been following him around for years. She knows Beiye has feelings for Fuyao but refuses to give up. Ya Lan Chu also ends up being friends with Fuyao when the latter tries to help her to win over Beiye.

Eddie Gu You Ming as Zhan Beiheng

Beiheng is Prince Heng, the second brother of Beiye. He is loyal to the emperor who is his elder brother and helps him to get rid of enemies, including Beiye.

Zhang Yi Cong as Zhan Nancheng

Nancheng is the emperor of the Tiansha kingdom. He is always suspicious of his brothers and afraid of being toppled. Hence, he resorts to ruthless means to keep his position secure.

Tianquan Kingdom

Wang Jin Song as Zhangsun Jiong

Zhangsun Jiong is the emperor of Tianquan. He is also the ruler in charge of all the 5 kingdoms as Tianquan has been chosen as the imperial city long ago after the defeat of Di Fei Tian. He appears to be honest and upright but he hides a hatred for his brother. Wuji is his son.

Song Jia Lun as Zhangsun Jia

Zhangsun Jia is the younger brother of the emperor. He appears disinterested in power plays for the throne and goes about fulfilling his duties as a prince. His wife is a princess from Taiyuan, Xuan Yuan Xiao, but they have long ceased any communication after she ran away from the palace in Tianquan.

Juan Zi as Yuan Qingyi

Qingyi is Zhangsun Jiong’s wife and empress of Tianquan. She is also Wuji’s mother. Her wish is to have Wuji succeed the throne and for her to be free from the control being imposed on her by her husband due to a dark secret that they are hiding.

Zhao Chu Lun as Zhangsun Pingrong

Pingrong is the eldest prince of the emperor. While he is ambitious and wants to be the king, he lacks the wits and morals to be one. Pingrong does not hesitate to team up with others to further his own personal agenda which leaves him constantly fighting with Wuji.

Xuanji Kingdom

Xuanji is the only kingdom whereby the empress is not appointed by any royal family members but is destined by birth through the sign of a flying golden phoenix.

Lin Jing as Feng Xuan

Feng Xuan is the empress of Xuanji kingdom. She has a twin sister, Feng Qi, who has since died. They were close to each other until they both fell in love with the same man, Yu Heng.

Cao Wei Yu as Yu Heng

Yu Heng is one of the 10 saints and is also known as Meng Shuo. He fell in love with Feng Qi and married her. Together they have a daughter but both of them disappeared while he was away in a battle. Yu Heng also vanished from sight after their disappearance.

Gao Li Wen as Feng Jingzhi

Jingzhi is the empress’ eldest princess and heir apparent. She is capable but not as shrewd and manipulative as her younger sister.

Wang He Run as Feng Jingfan

Jingfan is also known as Fo Lian, a supposedly kind-hearted woman who treats the sick. She is the second princess of Xuanji and has a marriage agreement with Wuji since young.

Qiongcang

Liu Sha as Tian Ji

Tian Ji is the leader of the 10 saints. He is also Wuji’s teacher.

Liu Xuan as Fei Yan

Fei Yan is a descendant of Di Fei Tian. Her aim is to revive Di Fei Tian to control the 5 kingdoms.

Synopsis

Fuyao grew up as an orphan and a lowly servant in the Xuanyuan sect. But her discontent at her fate and rebellious nature lead her to chart her own path in life. Her relationship with Yan Jingchen causes intense jealousy in Pei Yuan who tries to harm her in various ways. In the process, Fuyao stumbles upon the hidden martial art practice of the Xuanyuan sect and awakens the 5-layered spell within herself that she has been cursed with. Being the bearer of the 5-colored stone, Fuyao has the capability to awaken the evil Di Fei Tian whose remnants had been sealed up by Chang Qingzi, the grand elder of Qiongcang, years ago.

While Fuyao subsequently learns about her curse from Uncle Zhao, she only have a vague knowledge about it. She doesn’t know that as each layer is lifted, the awakening of Di Fei Tian becomes nearer and peace in the 5 kingdoms would be at stake. As fate would have it, Fuyao meets Wuji and their relationship blossoms. They keep appearing in each other’s lives as Wuji tries to overcome the political maneuverings by enemies in the different kingdoms. But apart from being Tianquan’s crown prince, Wuji is also a descendant of Chang Qingzi. His task is to find and kill the person with the 5-layered spell to protect the 5 kingdoms from ruin.

What would happen to Fuyao and Wuji? Will Wuji kill Fuyao as instructed? Who is Fuyao exactly?

Legend Of Fuyao Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Does Legend Of Fuyao have a happy ending? The answer is yes! Both Fuyao and Wuji didn’t die as they decide to face the final battle together. With Tian Ji pressuring Wuji to kill Fuyao and the burden of saving the kingdoms weighing on Fuyao’s shoulders, they go straight to Qiongcang for a last ditch effort to change destiny. Wuji meets Tian Ji to plead for an alternative solution to contain Di Fei Tian. But Tian Ji has no other solution to offer and tortures Wuji to reveal Fuyao’s location. Wuji refuses to comply. Fuyao turns up to save Wuji. Tian Ji tries to kill her but Fei Yan kills Tian Ji instead as she needs Fuyao alive to awaken Di Fei Tian.

As they fight Fei Yan, Fuyao pierces a sword into her. Unfortunately, that is the final step to lift the last layer of the spell. Fuyao becomes possessed and cuts Wuji repeatedly with her sword. But with each cut, she has flashbacks of her time with him. Eventually, Fuyao stabs herself to stop herself from killing Wuji. Both of them survive and recover to give us an ending of a happy couple.

Who Is Fuyao’s Mother?

Fuyao’s mother is Feng Qi. She was killed by her twin sister, Feng Xuan, due to jealousy. The killing is witnessed by Feng Qi’s personal maid, Xu Wan, who was hiding in a cupboard with Fuyao who was still a baby then. Xu Wan subsequently hid Fuyao in the cold palace for a few years until they were discovered. Xu Wan was then tortured and killed. Fuyao was nearly beaten to death but a palace guard didn’t have the heart to kill her. She was dumped into a river and saved by Uncle Zhou who took pity on her and brought her to Mount Xuanyuan. In actual fact, Fuyao is the true heir of the Xuanji kingdom and born to be empress.

Fuyao’s father is Yu Heng. He is one of the 10 saints but vanished to become Feng Xuan’s shadowy executor after the misfortune that have befallen his wife and daughter. When Yu Heng returned from a battle to find his family gone, he was forced to do Feng Xuan’s bidding as he wanted to know what has happened to them. He secretly carried out the role for 20 years until Fuyao reappears and father and daughter reunites.

Who Is Wuji’s Real Father?

Wuji’s real father is Zhangsun Jia who is the emperor’s younger brother. Zhangsun Jia and Yuan Qingyi used to be lovers. But upon ascending to the throne, Zhangsun Jiong married Qingyi as he wanted to take away the one thing that is precious to his brother. However, Zhangsun Jia and Qingyi continued to have an affair. Zhangsun Jiong knows all along that Wuji is not his son but pretends otherwise to protect his own reputation. However, Zhangsun Jia is not aware of the fact as Qingyi never told him. He learns about it at the last minute while preparing for war with the state when Xuan Yuan Xiao tells him. Xuan Yuan Xiao was his wife who was hunted down by Zhangsun Jiong when she overheard that Wuji is not the emperor’s son.

Zhangsun Jiong’s Hatred

Zhangsun Jiong has always been envious of his brother as the latter had the love of their parents and was the smarter and more well-liked prince when young. The throne was only given to Zhangsun Jiong because it was jinxed as all previous emperors have not lived beyond 40. When Zhangsun Jia went on to have an affair with his wife, the hatred intensified. He plotted and waited patiently for 20 years to provoke Zhangsun Jia to rebel in order to have a good reason to get Wuji to kill his biological father. In the end, Zhangsun Jia knows Wuji is his son. He allows himself to be caught and stabs himself to death just as he is to be executed by Wuji to save his son the pain.

Zhangsun Jiong who has been ill also died with Wuji by his side. He admits to what he has done. His feelings are complicated with a love-hate relationship towards Wuji. On one hand, Zhangsun Jiong admits that he wishes Wuji is his own son. As an emperor, he could have killed Wuji but he didn’t. On the other, Wuji reminds him of Zhangsun Jia and his hatred festers. He wanted Wuji to kill his own father and experience the same loneliness and sufferings that he did.

Legend Of Fuyao Review – Not Great, But Not Too Bad Either

This drama is supposed to be a story about Fuyao but it is just as much about Wuji. In fact, the plot is not just about lifting the spell off Fuyao but it brings you all over the place with the involvement of Wuji in political machinations and power plays among the different characters in several kingdoms. So, if you are looking for a compelling story from start to finish, I find that it is somewhat lacking compared to The Untamed and Love And Destiny. Maybe the novel is more interesting as it brings the reader on a journey through the 5 kingdoms but once it is translated into this drama, some parts just start to get a bit draggy and the story on Fuyao’s spell seems to be momentarily forgotten at times and replaced with palace intrigues.

But I have to say that the first half of Legend Of Fuyao is interesting to watch and that will suck you in. The beginning introduces us to Fuyao’s character and it is easy to root for her due to her lowly status but with lots of guts. The political fight over Taiyuan’s throne is also exciting enough with a bit of twists and turns. So, it makes it easier to sit through the remaining of the drama since the first half has been a compelling watch. The second half is less exciting but you will get to witness Fuyao and Wuji’s relationship maturing and how their characters grow as they experienced tragedies and betrayals.

Acting

I like Yang Mi’s portrayal of Fuyao in this drama. She is very expressive as a mischievous and rebellious lass in some scenes but she is also able to tone it down for a more matured portrayal of the character when the situation calls for it. Her beautiful eyes are a joy to watch and you can catch a lot of emotions in them as the story progresses. I think Yang Mi did well here and nailed the character perfectly as she takes you on the journey of Fuyao’s life.

Ethan Juan also did reasonably well as the crown prince. He successfully portrayed the arrogance and playful side of the character with his smirks that made him seem truly cocky. But unlike Yang Mi, his eyes are less expressive and he relied a lot on his facial expressions to show pain. I think a few of the crying scenes seemed a bit overdone with his exaggerated facial expressions.

However, the chemistry between the 2 leads is good and it helped to carry the show convincingly to its final conclusion. After all, Fuyao and Wuji’s love story involves their willingness to sacrifice their lives to protect each other. Without a great chemistry, the love story would have certainly fallen short.

My Verdict

For this Legend Of Fuyao review, I would give it a rating of 7.5 out of 10. The set, costumes, and cinematography all point to a high quality production. The fighting scenes between Fuyao and Wuji at the beginning of their relationship are beautifully choreographed and certainly worth a rewatch. But whether it is worth your time to sit through the entire 66 episodes would depend on your appetite for dramas on palace power struggles because it does take up quite a big chunk of this production.

As for the romance, the first part is more exciting to watch than the second. Wuji’s flirting and wooing is more swoon-worthy to me than the times when they have actually got together as a couple. But it is a full journey from meeting to flirting to loving each other deeply amid political upheavals, revenge, and betrayals. Legend Of Fuyao is not exactly all romance either as it also has family ties, state affairs, and fantasy rolled into one. So, it suits a wider audience rather than just romance drama fans. I would say watch it to follow a woman’s journey that brings her to the discovery of her identity and think of the romance as the icing on the cake.