Thousand Years For You Review

Thousand Years For You (请君) seems like a pretty interesting drama with its different setting for the romance. I chose to watch this first over See You Again because I kind of miss Allen Ren after The Blue Whisper. It is hard to ignore his magnetism and unique charm after having watched all those cold and domineering characters that he has played. While he has the drawing power to attract viewers, is the drama any good? Scroll down for my Thousand Years For You review to find out.

My rating: 7/10
Episodes: 36
Type: Fantasy
Aired: September 2022
Images Credit: iQIYI Taiwan Facebook

The Cast Of Thousand Years For You

• Allen Ren Jia Lun as Lu Yan
• Li Qin as Yu Deng Deng / Yun Xi
• Chen Xi Jun as Gu Bei Xi
• Chang Long as Peng Da Hai
• Xiao Shen Yang as Lu Er
• Leon Lai Yi as Zhu Rong
• Song Wen Zuo as A Xin
• Deng Zhi Yuan as A Chang
• Wu Ming Jing as Bai Shi Qi
• Zhu Yong Teng as Director Bai
• Hei Zi as Yu Tan Zi / Chieftain Yu
• Wang Hai Xiang as General Wei Du
• Cao Xi Yue as Black Saintess

Main Characters

Lu Yan

Lu Yan was the prince of the human race 3,000 years ago who led the war against the Spirit Clan. After his resurrection, he becomes the owner of a sedan chair business. Lu Yan is a serious and stern-looking man with a handsome face. He is cold and rational with an analytical mind.

Yu Deng Deng / Yun Xi

Deng Deng is the Chief of Qing Quan Stronghold. She is tomboyish with an arrogant and imposing personality. She is very direct and can be a show-off. But Deng Deng has a generous and kind heart beneath the facade. She lost her mother when she was a kid while her father is always not around. She was brought up by her uncle. Yun Xi is the ancient spirit which Yu Lan suspects is residing in Deng Deng’s body.

Supporting Characters

Gu Bei Xi

Bei Xi is the Chief of Nan Feng Stronghold which is the strongest clan in the area. He knew Deng Deng since they were kids and they grew up together. Bei Xi is in love with Deng Deng but the latter has no interest in him.

Peng Da Hai

Da Hai is Deng Deng’s disciple. He is a comical man who got attacked by a spirit and would turn into a woman when he drinks.

Lu Er

Lu Er is Deng Deng’s uncle and second-in-command of the Qing Quan Household. He knows more than he lets on but treats Deng Deng like his own child.

Zhu Rong

Zhu Rong is the ancient Spirit Clan leader with an ambition to rule the world. He is ruthless and cruel with a belief that the strong should dominate and kill the weak.

A Xin & A Chang

A Xin and A Chang used to be Yun Xi’s followers. They are from the Spirit Clan but pretend to be humans and run a sedan chair shop.

Bai Shi Qi

Shi Qi is the daughter of the police chief of Ying Du City. She is a straightforward and honest young lady with a cheerful personality.

Director Bai

Director Bai is the police chief of Ying Du City. He is a calculative and cunning man who has a what’s-in-it-for-me attitude.

Yu Tan Zi / Chieftain Yu

Chieftain Yu is Deng Deng’s father. He is a spirit-hunter with a kind heart towards spiritual creatures. He loves Deng Deng and has a prejudice towards Lu Yan.

General Wei Du

General Wei is Lu Yan’s subordinate 3,000 years ago. He is a loyal Vice General but hates the Spirit Clan for what they have done to humans.

Black Saintess

Black Saintess is from the Spirit Clan who is trapped in a sacred tree.

Synopsis

Zhu Rong and Yun Xi were the Spirit Clan leader and Saintess respectively. 3,000 years ago, they waged a war against the human race which was led by General Lu Yan. Due to the untold misery caused by the war, Yun Xi decided to cooperate with Lu Yan for peace instead. But Zhu Rong refused to give up and forced them into a corner. In desperation, Yun Xi gave Lu Yan her energy core for him to defeat Zhu Rong before she died. After peace returned, Lu Yan disappeared which gave rise to countless legends.

3,000 years later, Deng Deng who is the Chief of the Qing Quan Stronghold woke up the sleeping Lu Yan while hunting for treasures in a cave. She did so without knowing what she has done. With Yun Xi’s energy core, Lu Yan has special powers and quickly adapted to his new surroundings. He wants to look for Yun Xi and resurrect her.

When Deng Deng meets Lu Yan, she is immediately attracted to his good looks and demands for marriage. Lu Yan agrees as he suspects she is hosting Yun Xi’s spirit inside her body. Deng Deng assumes Lu Yan has a bit of feelings for her after facing some dangers together until he tries to extract Yun Xi’s spirit which could kill her in the process.

Thousand Years For You Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Thousand Years For You has an open ending at the end of Episode 36. Lu Yan extracts the energy core from his chest to give it back to Deng Deng on their wedding night. Deng Deng herself has quietly wanted to cut short her life in order to stop Black Saintess. Because they share the same root, her death means Black Saintess will also die. But Lu Yan’s sacrifice enables Deng Deng to kill off Black Saintess. After the duel with the villain, Deng Deng tries to look for Lu Yan but he has completely disappeared.

One year later, Deng Deng still misses Lu Yan very much. Bei Xi convinces Deng Deng to have the courage to look for Lu Yan if she believes he is still alive. She has been avoiding the topic as she fears disappointment if he can’t be found. With the encouragement, Deng Deng embarks on a search for Lu Yan with Da Hai. They travel from town to town looking for him. In the last scene, Deng Deng is seen smiling when a man resembling Lu Yan is seen.

When Did Deng Deng Find Out Lu Yan’s Identity?

Deng Deng finds out that Lu Yan is a general from ancient times in Episode 11 from a spirit that she has caught. He reveals that Lu Yan fell in love with Saintess Yun Xi from the Spirit Clan during the war between spirits and humans 3,000 years ago. When he was injured, Saintess Yun Xi gave him her energy core in order to save him. As a result, he became half-human and half-spirit with great powers.

Saintess Yun Xi died after removing her energy core with her Golden Crow spirit scattering. Rumors has it that Lu Yan kept one of her spiritual feathers around Qing Quan Mountain and he sealed himself there to nourish it with the energy core so that she can be reincarnated. Hence, Deng Deng fears that she might have been fed with the sacred bird when she was ill as a kid and Lu Yan is after her in revenge.

In Episode 12 and 13, Lu Yan tells Deng Deng of how Saintess Yun Xi saved his life during a duel with Zhu Rong. He got to know her then and she was impressed with the way humans live. She wished for both humans and spirits to coexist and was deemed a betrayer by her clan. They fell in love and she ended up sacrificing herself to save him.

A Xin told Lu Yan of a legend that he could nourish her scattered spirit through her spiritual feather by using the energy core and sealing himself for 3,000 years. However, it would take a toll on his body and his energy might turn unstable as a result. Lu Yan didn’t mind and went ahead to do so in order to get Saintess Yun Xi back.

Deng Deng’s Identity

Lu Yan confirms that Deng Deng is the embodiment of Saintess Yun Xi’s spirit in Episode 14 through an occult method. Saintess Yun Xi regained her human form as a little girl and was picked up by the Yu couple near the mountain. The couple had just lost their little daughter and treated Saintess Yun Xi as their own. They knew she is a spirit and hid her identity to protect her. So, she was brought up as a human and took on their daughter’s identity as Deng Deng.

However, Deng Deng has no memory of the past and finds it hard to believe Lu Yan’s story until they start cooperating in an investigation to free Da Hai who has been arrested by the police. Deng Deng gets confirmation of her identity when she meets her father again in Episode 19. In Episode 22, she regains her saintess form after Lu Yan sacrifices himself to save the spiritual creatures in the execution ground. The energy core inside Lu Yan recognizes and connects with her when she makes a touching plea for it to resuscitate Lu Yan.

When Did The Couple Get Together?

Lu Yan continues to protect Deng Deng after he finds out that she is Saintess Yun Xi in Episode 14. She is wary of him after her initial disappointment but her heart softens towards him over time. Deng Deng refuses to divorce him as demanded by her father in Episode 20 to Lu Yan’s relief. He comforts her in Episode 21 when her father is infected by the spiritual bug.

In Episode 22, Deng Deng connects with her energy core and uses her saintess powers to save Lu Yan after he sacrificed himself to rescue a group of spiritual creatures from execution. She is adamant that he cannot die because he belongs to her and has waited 3,000 years for her. They become a couple in Episode 23 after Deng Deng hears his confession.

Lu Yan proposes to Deng Deng in Episode 34 as he is planning to sacrifice himself to return the energy core to her so that she can reseal the Black Saintess. Deng Deng agrees to his proposal as she has also secretly decided to end her life to stop the Black Saintess. They have their wedding shoot and hold their wedding ceremony in Episode 35.

Is There A Love Triangle?

Bei Xi has feelings for Deng Deng since they were young but she is never interested in him. Deng Deng always has this presumption that Bei Xi wants to marry her so that he can annex Qing Quan Stronghold and merge it with his own. However, Bei Xi genuinely cares for Deng Deng and wants to protect her.

As they experience adventures together and learn to get along, Deng Deng still sees Bei Xi as a friend only. She only has eyes for Lu Yan. Bei Xi learns to let go of his feelings for Deng Deng in Episode 22 when it finally dawns on him how much she loves Lu Yan.

Zhu Rong’s Fate

Zhu Rong dies in Episode 32 after his plan to get back the energy core from Lu Yan fails. He is severely injured from Lu Yan’s attack but before he dies, he uses his blood to free the Black Saintess from the divine tree. The Black Saintess has been sealed up inside the tree by Saintess Yun Xi 3,000 years ago. Zhu Rong does so in the hope that the Black Saintess will revive the Spirit Clan.

What Happened To General Wei?

Viewers will know what happened to General Wei in Episode 30. In his quest for revenge, Zhu Rong made used of General Wei by controlling him via the spiritual bug. General Wei is the one who massacred everyone in Yu Village including Deng Deng’s mother while under Zhu Rong’s control. Then, Zhu Rong creates an illusion to trick him that he is still in ancient Shu with his soldiers. General Wei is under the impression that Zhu Rong could keep them alive with his powers while they wait for Lu Yan’s return and rebuild Shu. In return, he will cooperate to hand over Saintess Yun Xi to Zhu Rong.

Lu Yan breaks the illusion to General Wei in Episode 30. General Wei is pained and regrets what he has done. His immortality didn’t come from Zhu Rong’s powers but Saintess Yun Xi’s blood which got into his wounds during the war. In Episode 31, he tries to atone for his sins by helping Lu Yan to keep Deng Deng safe while they figure out how to fight Zhu Rong. He dies in Episode 32 after being gripped by vines controlled by Zhu Rong. Before General Wei dies, he tells Deng Deng about the Black Saintess. Because Deng Deng and the Black Saintess share the same root, they will die together if Deng Deng sacrifices herself.

Side Couple

Bei Xi meets Shi Qi in Episode 16 when he saves her from danger. She becomes attracted to him and is happy when she learns that he is one she is betrothed to. However, Bei Xi tells her that he is in love with Deng Deng and plans to cancel the betrothal agreement in Episode 17. He only finds out that Shi Qi is his fiancee in Episode 18. She confesses her feelings to him then despite knowing that he loves Deng Deng. Bei Xi breaks off their engagement in Episode 19 and they part as friends in Episode 22 when he has to return to his stronghold.

Bei Xi also decides to let go of Deng Deng in Episode 22 after witnessing how much she loves Lu Yan at a critical moment. But he still wants to protect her out of habit. In Episode 23, Director Bai is dismissed from his job and is killed by gangsters from the Xiong Ya Stronghold for past grudges when he and his family are traveling back to their hometown. Bei Xi regrets and fears for Shi Qi’s safety in Episode 24 and 25 when she couldn’t be found.

Bei Xi and Shi Qi meet again in Episode 32 by chance to his great relief and happiness. She is now a medical worker and has matured after her experience. She assumes Bei Xi still has feelings for Deng Deng and treats him as a friend until he convinces her otherwise in Episode 35. A year later in Episode 36, they are still together and Bei Xi plans to accompany Shi Qi to the North where medical workers are needed due to war.

Thousand Years For You Review – Hit Or Miss

Personally, I think Thousand Years For You will prove to be a hit or miss for the audience. If you are in it for the romance, this is a meh largely due to the lack of chemistry between the leads to project a convincing pair of lovers. The female character also may not be instantly likable. On the other hand, if you are looking for a bit of fantasy rather than pure romance, then this may offer something different than the usual CEO tropes like Nothing But You and Love At Night. So, I guess this really depends on what is your expectation when it comes to the romance.

Having said that though, this drama still falls short of being an exciting fantasy thriller if you are a serious fan of the genre. It gets boring after a while with what seems like an overly lengthy investigation and effort to bring down the villain. So, I watched this while fiddling with my phone or on fast forward mode at times. It just failed to sustain my attention which is a pity because this could have been a masterpiece for both the romance and fantasy thriller genres if done right. The only thing that kept me going was the curiosity of how it will end for both the leads given their ancient connection to each other.

The Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Thousand Years For You has an open ending. For me, I’m not against this kind of ending because it could make a drama more memorable if the story permits. Shining For One Thing is a good example of that. But for this drama, some explanations would be good rather than leaving viewers hanging about what happened. Viewers are told all along that the male protagonist would die once he extracts the energy core from his body. As expected, he does so to help his beloved to defeat the villain.

A year later, he is shown to be alive after the heroine has gone looking for him all over the place. The drama ends there without any explanation. It just doesn’t give you a fulfilling ending because it is short of specifics. Basically, the why and how are missing. In a typical open ending for a drama, you might just need to draw your own conclusion whether a pair of lovers will end up together such as in Novoland: Pearl Eclipse. But for Thousand Years For You, not only you need to fill in the blanks for that, you would also need to rely on your own imagination on what happened to the male character.

Good Plot, Poor Execution

I think the producers do have good material to work with for this drama. The plot is an interesting one to start with. The leads are experienced in acting and good-looking. If it is done right, Thousand Years For You could have been truly memorable by bringing viewers on an emotional roller-coaster when it comes to the romance. After all, dramas on eternal love and sacrifices have always been fans’ favorites such as Immortal Samsara and Love Between Fairy And Devil.

Similarly, the mystery that could be played up is not up to par either. At times, it feels as if the drama has started to run all over the place and boredom sets in. Plot holes start to appear as the investigation drags on and on.

In short, I think the production team failed to fully capture the potential that exists in the story. It could be more angsty, tragic, sweet, mysterious, and/or thrilling. But nope, it falls flat everywhere that the drama ends up being very average overall.

Not The Leads’ Best Performance

I have to say Allen Ren’s performance is disappointing in this one. He looks incredibly handsome here in his suits but sadly, his acting is too stiff. He has played a cold general in a few dramas now including Under The Power from 3 years ago. But in Thousand Years For You, he just seems off in his role with a lack of expression. He is supposed to love the girl deeply but there is no passion and yearning noticeable in his eyes and body language.

Li Qin is a bit better but not by much. Perhaps the character doesn’t really suit her as it is difficult to reconcile her elegant beauty with the bossy and tomboyish stronghold chief role that she has to play. Thus, I much prefer her acting in The Wolf than this one. In Thousand Years For You, I get the feeling her acting is overdone which comes up looking forced.

The worst of all would be the total lack of chemistry between these 2 leads. They look like partners on a mission rather than lovers. It couldn’t be the lack of kisses because Allen Ren has no kissing scenes with Bai Lu either in One And Only. Yet, they pulled off a convincing performance in that one with pain, regret, and yearning fully evident. In contrast, the magic is conspicuously absent in Thousand Years For You between Allen Ren and Li Qin that you can’t feel the deep love that they are supposed to have for one another except perhaps, in the last 2 episodes.

My Verdict – Not For The Romance

If you are looking for a good romance drama, Thousand Years For You is not it. You will be left sorely disappointed if you are expecting sweetness and fluff. It doesn’t have the feel of romance because the chemistry is sorely lacking. On top of that, the female character is a bossy one. She is smart and independent which is good but her overly domineering personality may not sit well with some viewers especially in the beginning of the drama. She is like the character in My Sassy Princess who goes after the guy without feeling coy about it.

Hence, this drama will only appeal to those who are in it for the fantasy-like mystery and adventure and not so much the romance although the couple has many scenes together and the OST also has the right feel to it. The plot is simple to understand despite the story spanning over 3,000 years. It is largely predictable which could be why the drama becomes draggy in some parts until you wish it would end quicker.

Overall, for this Thousand Years For You review, I would leave a 7/10 score for it. You won’t miss anything if you skip it. It is not the leads’ best works and there is nothing memorable about their performance. It is also hard to feel moved and excited as you watch with the bland romance and shallow mystery. Perhaps the drama tries too hard to straddle both genres that it ends up being half-baked in both.

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