Snow Eagle Lord Review

I finally set aside the time to watch Snow Eagle Lord (雪鹰领主) after putting it off in favor of other dramas. There are quite a few titles that have been released lately and it is indeed hard to keep up. So, after having kept this on the back burner, I finally dove in as I was curious about the story. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the start but plodded through anyhow to give time for the story to develop. Having completed the whole drama now, my Snow Eagle Lord review is as per below.

My rating: 6.5/10
Episodes: 40
Type: Romance, Fantasy
Aired: June 2023
Images Credit: WeTV Official Facebook

The Cast Of Snow Eagle Lord

• Xu Kai as Dongbo Xue Ying
• Gulnezer Bextiyar as Yu Jing Qiu
• Chen Xun as Situ Hong
• Bai Shu as Pu Yang Bo
• Lu Ting Yu as Kong You Yue
• Liu Zi Rui as Dongbo Qing Shi
• Song Xin Ran as Ji Rong
• Zheng Kai as Chi Qiu Bai
• Li Yi Tong as Bu Xiao Xi
• Shi Yan Fei as Ye Mei
• Wang Li as Sikong Yang
• Ryan Guo Jin Dong as Master He
• He Yi Chen as Master Xi Yun
• Zhang Jing Da as Master Tai Shu
• Zhang Zheng Yang as Bai Yuan Zhi
• Chen Yang as Ao Lan
• Li Yi Ning as Wu Cang
• Geng Le as Moyang Chen
• Liu Min as Moyang Yu
• Nan Fu Long as Xiang Pang Yun
• Hua Wen as Xue Ruo Shuang
• Mei Nian Jia as Si An

Main Characters

Dongbo Xue Ying

Xue Ying is the eldest son of Dongbo Lie and Moyang Yu. His father was the Chief of Xue Ying Territory in the Dragon Mountain Empire. Xue Ying is a talented martial artist with a very persistent and determined attitude. He is also righteous and principled with a kind heart. Xue Ying and his brother were brought up by 2 chamberlains in his household, namely Tong San and Zong Ling.

Yu Jing Qiu

Jing Qiu is a disciple of Master Sikong Yang who heads the Water Taoist Temple. She is an orphan who was brought up by her master and has no idea who her parents might be. Jing Qiu is courteous but straightforward. She is also kind and helpful.

Supporting Characters

Situ Hong

Situ Hong is an adopted child and brought up by the Si family. He is a good martial artist but suffers from a strong need to prove himself due to his adopted status. His aunt is Si Liang Hong who is one of the most powerful martial artists in the empire. Situ Hong also has a younger cousin brother, Si Bo Rong, who is lazy and irresponsible.

Pu Yang Bo

Pu Yang Bo is a commoner with a special power that enables him to run at an incredible speed. He also loves to eat. He is a happy-go-lucky kind of young man who is contented with being average. However, Pu Yang Bo is upright and is a loyal friend.

Kong You Yue

You Yue is a young lady who comes from a rich family. Her father, Kong Hai, is a merchant and has an armory business. You Yue is expressive and has a talent in business and memory work. She also has a special power that enables her to gain sight of things hidden from view. You Yue has a younger brother, Kong Hao, who is into martial arts.

Dongbo Qing Shi

Qing Shi is Xue Ying’s younger brother. He is a kind and sincere guy who is simple-minded and trusting of others. His interest is in learning how to use spells and magical powers. Qing Shi and Xue Ying share a close relationship.

Ji Rong

Ji Rong is a disciple of Bai Yuan Zhi who treats her like a daughter. She appears as a harmless and kind young lady with her friendly demeanor.

Chi Qiu Bai

Chi Qiu Bai is the head of Chang Feng Academy which is a school set up to groom talented martial artist. He is a responsible and principled man who is determined to keep the Dragon Mountain Empire and Xia Clan safe from the demons. Chi Qiu Bai is a powerful martial artist himself. He is affiliated with the Water Taoist Temple as the Chief is his disciple brother. Xiao Xi is Chi Qiu Bai’s lover.

Bu Xiao Xi

Xiao Xi and her sister, Chun Yuan, are leaders of Fog City which is one of the 6 Transcendental sects in the Dragon Mountain Empire. They sit on the Elder Council. Xiao Xi and Chi Qiu Bai are lovers who are supportive of one another in guarding the empire from demons.

Ye Mei

Ye Mei is the Chief of Bloodshed Tavern which runs a network of assassins. She is a powerful martial artist who is a member of the Elder Council of Xin Huo Palace. However, she has shunned them to do her own thing with no interest to involve herself in their matters.

Sikong Yang

Sikong Yang is the Chief of Water Taoist Temple. His powers make him a Demigod in the eyes of others. He is also Jing Qiu’s master. Sikong Yang is a patient and upright man who tries his best to do the right thing. He also sits on the Elder Council.

Master He

Master He is the Chief of Black White Deity Mountain. He has great powers in formation spells and is a member of the Elder Council.

Master Xi Yun

Master Xi Yun is the Chief of Temple of Earth and God and a member of the Elder Council. He seems like a rational man who tends to observe and think before he speaks.

Master Tai Shu

Master Tai Shu is the Chief of Sea God Palace. He is the most outspoken and hotheaded Elder Council member. He is opinionated and tends to be argumentative.

Bai Yuan Zhi

Bai Yuan Zhi is a reclusive and low profile man but has great powers. He has a mysterious background but appears kind. Ji Rong is his disciple.

Ao Lan

Ao Lan is the Second Priest of the Demon Realm. He is ruthless and powerful. His main aim is to revive the Demon God.

Wu Cang

Wu Cang is a disciple of the Black White Deity Mountain. He is a loner and practices a weird magical technique that causes harm to his body. Together with Zhuo Yi, Lan Sha and Yu Feng, they are elite warriors of Xin Huo Palace.

Moyang Chen

Moyang Chen comes from a noble family but is obsessed with being the best martial artist in the empire. He is a selfish and cruel man. He is also Xue Ying’s maternal uncle.

Moyang Yu

Moyang Yu is Xue Ying and Qing Shi’s mother. She was happily married to Dongbo Lie before tragedy struck. Moyang Yu has an ancient bloodline running in her veins which gave her immense powers. She is a righteous and strong woman who doesn’t easily buckle under pressure.

Xiang Pang Yun

Xiang Pang Yun is a General of the Demon Realm. He takes orders from Ao Lan and the High Priest.

Xue Ruo Shuang

Xue Ruo Shuang is a hairpin spirit from the Moxue Empire in the Divine Realm.

Xi An

Xi An is the Lord of Dragon Mountain Mansion which is an intelligence network. He is assisted by You Tu.

Synopsis

Xue Ying is the son of the Chief of Xue Ying Territory. He witnessed his father being killed by his uncle who also took away his mother when he was a kid. Therefore, he grew up with an aim to save his mother. However, in the quest to find out where her mother is being held, Xue Ying ends up being involved in the fight between the Xia Clan and the demons. He also gets to know Jing Qiu who is also against the demons and a disciple of Sikong Yang.

Xue Ying’s sense of duty to protect the people and their homeland makes him join the Chang Feng Academy to increase his martial art and cultivation skills. Moreover, he knows he needs to be stronger in order to save his mother. As the demons plot and scheme to free their Demon God from the Xia Clan’s seal, Xue Ying and Jing Qiu discover that there is a traitor in the top echelons of their clan. The 2 of them also fall in love with each other along the way but uncertainty arises when Jing Qiu’s origin is exposed.

Snow Eagle Lord Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Snow Eagle Lord has a happy ending. In the final battle with the demons, Xue Ying is trapped by Ao Lan in his sacred demon flower form. Desperate and angry at the danger facing Jing Qiu and his friends, Xue Ying’s ancient bloodline is stimulated. This gives him immense powers to destroy Ao Lan to free himself. He then goes on to kill the Demon God along with all the demons. However, Chi Qiu Bai, You Yue, Wu Cang, Lan Sha, and Yu Feng die fighting the demons in this last war. As You Yue dies, she fades into the air.

10 years later, Pu Yang Bo is running a weapons shop. He still misses You Yue. As he honors her with her favorite cake, he begins telling her that the Demon Clan has been completely defeated. Xue Ying and Jing Qiu are doing well and Xue Ying Territory is now a lively place. Then, You Yue makes an appearance (most likely it is Pu Yang Bo’s imagination) and he is seen smiling.

Xue Ying and Jing Qiu already have a son who is exactly like Xue Ying when he was young. He teaches his son the very same thing that his father taught him back then. The drama ends with their son’s narration about his interest in listening to her parents’ stories about their experiences.

When Did The Leads Get Together?

Xue Ying and Jing Qiu become conscious of their feelings for each other after he accidentally kissed her in Episode 8. He was trying to free her from the rubble of a collapsed fort and the pressure from a falling structure pushed his face onto hers.

The couple got together in Episode 11 when Jing Qiu goes down a cliff to save Xue Ying. He has fallen off the cliff while fighting Xiang Pang Yun. In Episode 16, Xue Ying rejects You Yue’s father’s betrothal request and makes clear that the person he likes is Jing Qiu.

Xue Ying proposes to Jing Qiu in Episode 33 and she agrees to marry him. He arranges for a wedding ceremony in Episode 34.

Is There Any Breakup?

After Jing Qiu knows about her identity and background, she is pressured to leave Dragon Mountain Empire to go back to her Divine Realm and her people. She quarrels with Xue Ying over it in Episode 27 after he learned that she has kept quiet about her impending departure. However, Xue Ying understands her predicament after his anger subsided. In Episode 30, Jing Qiu tells Xue Ying that she has to return to her world in due course but couldn’t bear to leave him.

Jing Qiu also learns that her divine bloodline is incompatible with Xue Ying’s ancient bloodline in Episode 31. With Xue Ying’s powers awakening, he would be sucking away her divine energy. Hence, Jing Qiu wants to marry Xue Ying to fulfill her wish to be his wife and leave him with beautiful memories before she dies. But Xue Ruo Shuang is unwilling to let Jing Qiu fade away and tells Xue Ying about Jing Qiu’s condition. The only way to save her is to send her back to Mo Xue Empire which she is refusing because of her love for Xue Ying.

In Episode 34, Xue Ying tells Jing Qiu that he is only marrying her because of her bloodline during their wedding ceremony. He is only using her to save his mother. Jing Qiu’s disappointment on being betrayed enables Xue Ying to send her back to her world. She strips off her divine veins to return to Xue Ying in Episode 37 when he is at risk of dying from demonic poisoning.

Is There A Love Triangle?

You Yue is also interested in Xue Ying initially. She has a crush on him after he saved her from a group of bandits. She joins the Chang Feng Academy to get close to him but realizes that he only has eyes for Jing Qiu. In fact, she is embarrassed when her father asks Xue Ying about a betrothal arrangement in Episode 16. Together with Pu Yang Bo, You Yue become good friends with Xue Ying and Jing Qiu instead.

Situ Hong also has feelings for Jing Qiu. He confesses to her and states his intention to marry her after drinking in Episode 16. She rejects him outright. She rejects him again in Episode 29 which then fuels his resolve to follow the demons’ orders to test out her origin.

Hence, there is no love triangle in Snow Eagle Lord as the leads have made it obvious from the start as to who they love.

Jing Qiu’s Origin

Jing Qiu’s origin is revealed in Episode 27 when the Spirit Hairpin, Xue Ruo Shuang, is unsealed. Xue Ruo Shuang narrates her story that Jing Qiu has a divine bloodline. Her parents were the King and Queen of Mo Xue of the Divine Realm. In the war with the demons 20 years earlier, they descended to help the Xia Clan. However, Jing Qiu’s parents died. Due to the dangerous situation, Xue Ruo Shuang brought Jing Qiu to the entrance of the Water Taoist Temple, sealed her divine bloodline, and erased her memories to keep her safe.

Xue Ruo Shuang was then attacked by demons and got injured. She reverted to her original form of a hairpin but was mistakenly picked up as a demon artifact and sealed up in the Xin Huo Palace library chamber. She is unsealed during a commotion in the chamber when Jing Qiu and Xue Ying are trying to flush out the Xia Clan’s traitor.

Jing Qiu’s divine powers burst forth in Episode 29 after Situ Hong gives her a drink laced with a demonic pill to test out her origin and the presence of the Snowflake Mark which could open the Demon God’s coffin for his revival.

Who Is Bai Yuan Zhi?

Bai Yuan Zhi and Sikong Yang were disciple brothers from the Water Taoist Temple. This is revealed in Episode 14. During the war with the demons 20 years ago, Bai Yuan Zhi was hit by a demonic force and the poison had entered his body. As nothing can be done to cure him, Bai Yuan Zhi chose to leave the sect so as not to sully the sect’s and his master’s reputation. He is not heard of again until someone identifies him as a powerful master.

Bai Yuan Zhi has been suppressing the demonic powers inside his body but knows it won’t be long before he dies. He has a last mission to destroy the Snowflake Mark which a key that could unlock the Demon God’s bronze coffin. The Snowflake Mark has a conscience of its own and will find the strongest host to embed itself into. Bai Yuan Zhi failed to destroy it during the war but kept quiet about it to make everyone assumed that the key no longer existed. When he learns that the Snowflake Mark has embedded itself in Jing Qiu, he wants to kill her in Episode 30.

However, Sikong Yang convinces him otherwise as Jing Qiu could be used as a bait to lure the demons out and flush out the traitor in Episode 31. Bai Yuan Zhi dies in Episode 38 after saving Ji Rong by transferring the demonic poison from her body to his in Episode 37.

Who Is Ji Rong?

Ji Rong is actually the Third Priest of the Demon Realm. Her identity is revealed to the viewers in Episode 15. She takes advantage of Qing Shi’s feelings for her so that she can continue to remain in Xue Ying Territory and spy for the demons.

Xue Ying is suspicious of Ji Rong’s identity and seeks the truth from her gambler father in Episode 29. According to her father, Ji Rong’s mother was a demon. He saved her during the war and nursed her back to health. They fell in love but he didn’t know that she was a demon until Ji Rong was born. Hence, Ji Rong is a half-demon. Her mother was killed as a result and Ji Rong was abandoned.

You Yue exposes Ji Rong’s identity as a demon when she picks a fight with her in Episode 29. But Bai Yuan Zhi protects Ji Rong and explains her tragic childhood to elicit sympathy for her. As such, Qing Shi doesn’t mind her identity after the exposure. In Episode 33, Xue Ying informs Qing Shi that their mother is dead because of the demons and Ji Rong is Ao Lan’s subordinate. He leaves the decision whether to kill Ji Rong with Qing Shi.

Ji Rong abuses Qing Shi’s trust again in Episode 36 and creates chaos by turning people into demons. He confronts her in Episode 38. Ji Rong regrets her actions during their duel and allows Qing Shi to injure and kill her.

What Happened To Chi Qiu Bai?

Xiao Xi sacrifices her life to stop the demons from snatching the source stones needed to open up the Demon Well in Episode 10. She dies but Ao Lan uses her spiritual core to blackmail Chi Qiu Bai to cooperate with the demons in Episode 17. He does so with the intention to gather information about the demons’ plans. When Ao Lan wants Chi Qiu Bai to get Xue Ying over to the demons’ camp, he refuses the request to protect Xue Ying. Instead, Chi Qiu Bai makes a deal with Ao Lan to take Xue Ying’s place and embeds the Soul Scouring Nail into his own body in Episode 19. The nail will allow Ao Lan to control Chi Qiu Bai.

Chi Qiu Bai continues to protect Xue Ying secretly and find out the Demon Clan’s plan. He has to learn demonic techniques to earn Ao Lan’s trust in Episode 35. When he is forced to use demonic powers to save Xue Ying in Episode 37, he is mistaken to be a traitor. In Episode 39, the Demon God uses Chi Qiu Bai’s body as his new host and seals up his consciousness.

During the fight with Xue Ying in Episode 40, Chi Qiu Bai battles the Demon God internally to try to regain back control of his mind and body. The moment he could do so, he lunges towards Xue Ying’s spear to kill himself. He tells Xue Ying that he has been pretending to be a traitor all along before he dies to be with Xiao Xi.

Situ Hong’s Fate

Situ Hong’s obsession to be the best and defeat Xue Ying makes him to become tempted by the powers offered by Moyang Chen and the demons. His aunt strict attitude towards him compared to her flexibility towards his cousin brother also pushes him to think negatively. He starts off by killing Cui Yong and Si Bo Rong during a competition to unearth a Transcendent Knight in Episode 18. Although the 2 victims have turned demonic then, he kept quiet about the killings and even frames Xue Ying for Cui Yong’s death.

In Episode 20, he starts accepting demonic teachings and powers from Moyang Chen in exchange for favors needed by the demons. This results in his aunt being killed in Episode 21. Situ Hong also kills Kong Hao in Episode 23 after the latter refused to let Situ Hong free him from Moyang Chen’s prison and chastised him for colluding with the demons.

Situ Hong continues working with the demons in his obsession to increase his powers through demonic techniques. His role in exposing Jing Qiu’s divinity makes Xue Ying aware that Situ Hong is a traitor. He reports him to the elders in Episode 34 but lacks evidence to back his claim. Zhuo Yi tries to get Situ Hong back to the right path but he refuses to listen. She once met him when they were teens and believes he has a good side.

By the time Situ Hong realizes he will be sacrificed to enhance the Demon God’s powers to control Chi Qiu Bai’s body, it is too late. Zhuo Yi tries to save him but ends up dying for it. Situ Hong tries to do the right thing to fight the Demon God at last but dies in the process in Episode 39.

Who Is The Traitor?

The traitor is Master Xi Yun who is also the High Priest of the Demon Realm. In Episode 26, he covers up Situ Hong’s demonic powers from Sikong Yang which makes him a suspect. His identity as a traitor is confirmed in Episode 30 when he takes on Sikong Yang’s appearance to kill Bu Chun Yuan who had discovered Situ Hong’s collusion with the demons. When Master He arrives at the scene, Master Xi Yun severely injures him as well. Master He dies as a result.

With only 3 elders left after all the deaths, the good guys could deduce that Master Xi Yun must be the traitor. By pretending to accuse Sikong Yang as the traitor and using Jing Qiu as the bait, Master Xi Yun is set up in Episode 31. His identity is exposed but he manages to escape with Moyang Chen’s help.

In Episode 32, it is revealed that Master Xi Yun’s body has long been taken over. A disciple has been hosting the Demon God inside him which enabled him to kill his master and control his body. Xue Ying kills him when his grief at losing his mother awakens his ancient bloodline and makes him ascend to Saint level.

Other Key Events

• Master Tai Shu dies in Episode 22 after he sacrifices himself to close back the Demon Well gate.
• Tong San dies in Episode 23. He is silenced by Ao Lan and Ji Rong when he finds out that Ji Rong has hidden Ao Lan in the basement of Dongbo Manor.
• Kong Hai is killed by Ao Lan in Episode 23 after he was forced to help Ao Lan to escape with the Demon God’s coffin and is discovered by his daughter.
• Moyang Yu dies in Episode 32 when she sacrifices herself to try to kill the Demon God. It was her plan all along to be captured so that she can wait for the opportunity to kill off the Demon God once and for all.
• Moyang Chen’s body is taken over by the Demon God in Episode 35.
• Sikong Yang and Ye Mei die in Episode 37 after Ji Rong causes widespread chaos to allow the demons to attack Dragon Mountain Empire.
• Zong Ling dies in Episode 37 to detoxify Qing Shi from demonic poisoning due to Ji Rong’s doing.
• Si An forces Qing Shi to kill him after turning demonic in Episode 37.
• Zhuo Yi dies in Episode 39 after trying to save Situ Hong from the demons but fails.

Snow Eagle Lord Review – A Poorly Executed Drama

I really don’t know where to start for this Snow Eagle Lord review. It has a good plot in my mind but somehow, the script is messed up and the plot becomes rather poorly executed. I see it as wasted potential. The start itself is rather boring to me when the story quickly switches from saving the male lead’s mother to getting into a cultivation/martial arts academy. The admission test and jealous classmate is just so predictable. Fortunately, this stage doesn’t last that long before the story starts to pick up with the demons’ part of the story getting increasingly prominent.

However, this is also when the problem with the drama starts to become obvious. On the good guys side, some of the characters are annoyingly clueless and dumb especially the male protagonist’s brother. This reminds me of The Longest Promise whereby the character is just badly written. Basically, it is infuriating to watch their actions and decisions because what they did or didn’t do actually contributed to the chaos and deaths in the story. So, while they may be good guys, you just can’t feel anything positive about these characters. As a result, the drama loses its enjoyability.

This is compounded by the low budget feel from the substandard CGIs to the costumes. If you have watched Till The End Of The Moon or even Destined, the difference is pretty obvious. It also has a very 90’s style with manhua drawings inserted every now and then between scenes. This is done without fail for each martial arts/cultivation technique introduced. Personally, I find it irritating because it has been overdone and doesn’t really fit well with the tone of the story.

Deaths All Around (Spoilers Alert!)

Snow Eagle Lord is a drama with many characters but most of them will end up dead. Perhaps it will be good fun for a viewer to guess how many are left standing and who they are at the finish line. No doubt deaths may be necessary and realistic in a story. However, the killing off of some characters in Snow Eagle Lord just seems pointless. Maybe the producers want the story to be more dramatic but incorporating so many deaths into it is not working for me. For instance, the second female lead’s death at the end should make viewers sad by right, but I’m totally indifferent by then given the bad way the story and characters have been written.

To make matters worse, those who deserve to die go out in a rather tame manner that doesn’t commensurate with the evil deed they have committed. One of the villains who is obsessed about defeating the male lead throughout the drama didn’t have a showdown with him as anticipated. It is disappointing due to the long set-up for that to happen but instead, he is killed off in a way that tries to show his good side. The same goes for another female villain. The ending for her is also too easy after all deaths she had caused.

As for the ultimate villain, the fight between him and the male lead is an anti-climax. While his death is expected, the way he is killed is pretty lame. Thus, when the final scene comes, I’m just glad that it is over and I don’t have to spend anymore time on it.

Sweet But Forgettable Romance

I’m sure many will want to watch Snow Eagle Lord for the romance as well. Personally, I find it to be lackluster. Yes, some scenes are sweet but that is about it for me. It is not heartfelt whereby their love would touch you to the core such as the couple in Love Like The Galaxy. Maybe there is more to Snow Eagle Lord than just romance and hence, the lack of couple time onscreen contributes to the unremarkable love story.

(Spoilers Alert!) I also find the ending for them is kind of forced. The girl has to sacrifice and abandon her people and origin to be with the guy. She is a princess who is supposed to lead her people. Although her place in her world is never explored, it doesn’t feel good for the romance to have a princess giving up her responsibility to be with her man. Some may find it romantic but I see it as trying to force a happy ending.

Acting And Chemistry

Many female viewers will be watching this for Xu Kai and I don’t blame them. He is good to look at after all. In terms of his performance in Snow Eagle Lord, he did okay to me. His fighting scenes are good and it is mesmerizing to watch him in action with his spear. He also delivered on the emotional scenes although I won’t say his acting is memorable in this drama just like in Royal Feast. Basically, he did just enough to give the character the required toughness and strength.

I think there is still much room for improvement for Gulnezer Bextiyar’s acting. She has prominent eyes but the required expressions are not well-reflected in those eyes for some scenes. She is not unwatchable but her acting leaves me with the feeling that it could be better.

Both the leads have average chemistry to me. Some of their scenes are sweet and their kisses are passable. But I cannot detect sizzling chemistry in this pair whereby you would wish they have another project together unlike Xu Kai’s partnership with Cheng Xiao in Falling Into Your Smile.

My Verdict – Okay If You Don’t Mind Stupid Characters

I’m not going to say don’t watch Snow Eagle Lord. The plot is actually worth watching to me. It is just that you have to put up with badly written characters who are denser that most would like. If you can accept that, then the story is pretty interesting, never mind that substandard execution. That is how I managed to complete all the 40 episodes despite the sighs and complaints along the way. At the very least, the bad guys are pretty smart and their schemes make a lot of sense which is a change from the usual whereby the good guys tend to be the brainy ones.

There are also some boring parts along the way which I fast forwarded such as the training in the beginning part of the drama. The second couple’s story is also uninspiring and I skipped some of their scenes as well. But overall, the drama is addictive in a weird way. You know it is bad or could be much better, but you will still carry on anyhow once you have started watching. This is probably because you want to know what the demons are up to and who is the traitor.

For this Snow Eagle Lord review, I would rate it 6.5/10. If you are a big Xu Kai fan, it may be able to make you sit through to the end for him. Otherwise, I would just say think twice before you get onboard because the stupidity of the characters is bound to annoy you.

==> Snow Eagle Lord is available on Amazon Prime (affiliate link)