[Mainland Chinese Drama 2022] Sword Snow Stride 雪中悍刀行

[MayanEcho]

It's a wrap for Season 1!

 

Enjoyed watching all eps, and will likely watch it again. The dry humour of the father and son duo, the God of Sword, sarcastic Jiang Ni, even the pokerface Qing Niao (Remove the door! Hahaha!), and the rest of the group travelling with XFN will be missed. If there would be Season 2, it will be great to see the Season 1 all or most of the cast back, including the guest stars reprising their roles.

 

Spoiler

 

IMO, it's very fitting that Season 1's finale episode is partial closure and the chance to avenge the death of the Lady of North Liyang.

 

For their mother, the Xu sisters can get along so well. Even adopted brother Chen Zibao and Xu Fengnian who are arch-enemies and arch-rivals  would cast aside their differences and enmity for their mother.

 

Zhao Kai seems to have redeemable qualities, but having the head eunuch as his master spoiled his chances. No doubt his master wanted the best for him; however, the head eunuch would also be using the illegitimate prince for his own gains.

 

I like it a lot that XFN has a good sense of summum bonum which balances well with his ambitions. His being grounded and close interactions with the locals gave him that keen awareness on upholding peace and quiet life for the people under his care and protection, thus choosing to avoid widespread conflicts and chaos by all means. 

 

 

[lilviolet]

At least the ending was not left with a cliffhanger. A new trip for a new season, so that's not too bad.

I enjoyed a lot of the complex plans and the revelations of them throughout the show. . Xu Feng Nian was the centre of the universe which was fine by me. He was totally the 'young master' (when he had the power) but with a righteous heart and was smarty smart. Dad Xu Xiao was the chess master of chess master and the adorable dad at home. The humour was good. Great mix of characters, although it really seemed like XFN won the jackpot (or was unfortunate) in encountering every top ranking powerful martial artists around.

I guess those (minor) characters who said 'till we meet again' are probably due to appear again in future season. I'm looking forward to seeing Miss HeHe the most (even though she didn't say see you soon). She is so cute and deadly.

 

Spoiler

Memories of old Huang at Wu Di City was a nice touch. I fell into a likewise nostaglia. 

I loved the reunion of all the siblings. And felt for XFN when they all had to part again. His resolve to take over Bei Liang is always for his family to be together.

Surprised at the random appearance of Nam Gong Pu Ye at the showdown but I liked it because firstly, good to have another martial arts to help and good to see her out and about instead of just reading books inside the pavilion. She seems happy for XFN to keep her sabres.

But I would have liked XFN to have joined in the fight earlier. The writers have him organize the showdown but doesn't have him straight in there for the avenge.

Zhao Kai: I was surprised that he died. For sure his master seemed like a goner but I totally expected him to escape to make more mischief in S2. Sad too b/c he was unintentionally funny and entertaining. The way the Liu Duan Duan played it was good.

 

On 1/12/2022 at 12:36 AM, a_tumiwa said:

  Reveal hidden contents

1a. so who is the teacher of miss hehe? child ancestor only said "so you are his disciple...."  

 

1b. this miss hehe, next time she showed up , should be far stronger because absorbing  child ancestor's inner energy

 

2. XFN's true woman is Qing Niao!! stay with him all the time

3.  it's pity we only see 2 adopted son of xu xiao, while he had six

4. i thought Xu fengnian's spy at palace was that princess, who can guess it's actually General Gu Jiantang, someone that we havents seen his face yet.

5.  what realm is Eunuch Han? Zhu xian or just another tianxian?

6. why Zhao kai called eunuch han "Tai" shifu , that mean the teacher of teacher?

7. Hong xixiang 's long sleep explanation?

8. the final battle should be more climax if XFN use the ninth sword of old huang

 

Spoiler

2. Qing Niao is one of my fave. But I think she is too loyal to express her feelings, and is more of a protector type. And looks like XFN only likes Jiang Ni. Near the end, I kinda ship her with General Ling as they kinda look compatible when they're in the same frame. 

6. Zhao Kai calls him 'Da Shi Fu'. I thought it just sounds like a more respectable way of calling him master....maybe..just guessing. 

 

 

[delightful]

I just finished this series a few days ago, watched the whole thing in 2 days. It was such a good watch! Yeah, there were some slow-paced episodes but I didn't mind it since I enjoyed watching XFN. I watched a review on yt before watching this series and the main complaint seemed to be the fighting scenes, but I didn't mind it much. I watched this show for it's plot. Anyways, I wanted to list somethings I enjoyed... bear with me, I'm horrible with names. 

Spoiler

1. ZRY as XFN!!! He's not the best looking guy, but I enjoy his acting. I watched the beginning of JOL (only up to the child actor's part), so this character is refreshing for me after watching other series with not so smart ML. HuJun as Xu Xiao! I've liked this actor since his appearance in Demi Gods & Semi Devils, even tho his character is very different from that series, I am just awed by how well he portrayed XX. I love that XFN and XX are so smart! When they are in the same scene, my attention is completely on them.

 

2. Old Huang... he's such a good character! How he decides to throw away his wood box... but XFN finds it in the lake... LOL!!! Their potato stealing scene! The fishing with bare hands! The 3 years together would be super funny to watch. How he bragged about how good at fighting he was AFTER going thru all the troubles. I wanted to see more of him.

 

3. The relationship of the Xu family. At first the intro of the father, Xu Xiao, was like this almighty Lord who didn't have a heart. And thought his family would suffer from his coldness and stuff, but then... when he was all nervous to go into his son's room... I was like... huh? Then he was like, 'we got new maids? Tell them the family rules' ... I started laughing so hard. I love how the youngest brother basically worships XFN, the part he piggybacked XFN back to the mansion was so cute. The two older sisters and their love for XFN is touching, even tho second sis doesn't sugar-coat any words. And when the father gave XFN the options to deal with the youngest son... XFN really was like... 'you're gonna kill him?!' LOL!!! I wish this doesn't change, it would be a shame if their relationship changes.

 

4. Xu Xiao choosing not to avenge his wife. He knew everything and had the manpower to avenge and then do some more damage, but he chose not to, it must of had been so hard for him. It shows what a great person he is, he would make a GREAT Emperor/King.

 

5. The diverse female maids and the swordswoman. I like Qing Niao most out of all the females in this series, she is willing to die for XFN and even refuses to leave him when she was severely injured. As for Jiang Ni... I also do feel that she is a miscast. She feels more like a bratty younger sister and I was 90% annoyed with her appearance in the scenes... her facial expressions and her movements just seems so out of place?

 

6. The lower-level fighters' fights... it feels like the more powerful the character is... the less they move? That fight scene on the mountain with the two super powerful characters... tornadoes and all... they barely touched and used cgi... that sort of fight is super boring to me. I like the fight scenes where they were 'ambushed' when Pei Nan Wei came to send XFN off.

 

7. The fight to avenge their mother. I was so confused as to why XFN wanted boats/ships earlier on, but when the sisters and brother arrived... I was like... okay, this makes sense. And the appearance of Chen Zhi Bao was especially shocking to me. I thought he had betrayed his adopted father when he hadn't made an appearance at the end. The fight could have been a little better but the reveal of the actual traitor... I went as far as to think XFN was in that iron suit! I knew he wasn't in the carriage with God of Sword, but I was like... how is XFN able to appear at that river? 

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by delightful

[Carolyn Smith]

I agree with you on everything except I quite enjoyed the fl. 

It's a Great series and probably best when you watch several episodes at once. I've watched it twice, picking up things I missed the first viewing. Probably watch again to understand more.

[a_tumiwa]

just want to refresh memory

 

XFN's journey

 

back to  Beiliang after 3 years went outside to the martial world - Wudang sect - back to Beiliang - Qingyang sect on mount Qingcheng - Qingzhou - Yangzhou - Hui Shan (xuanyuan clan) - Longhu san  - Shangyin Academy - Wudi city - go overseas

 

i hope the order is not wrong 

[lilviolet]

On 1/18/2022 at 9:07 PM, delightful said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

1. ZRY as XFN!!! He's not the best looking guy, but I enjoy his acting. I watched the beginning of JOL (only up to the child actor's part), so this character is refreshing for me after watching other series with not so smart ML. HuJun as Xu Xiao! I've liked this actor since his appearance in Demi Gods & Semi Devils, even tho his character is very different from that series, I am just awed by how well he portrayed XX. I love that XFN and XX are so smart! When they are in the same scene, my attention is completely on them.

 

2. Old Huang... he's such a good character! How he decides to throw away his wood box... but XFN finds it in the lake... LOL!!! Their potato stealing scene! The fishing with bare hands! The 3 years together would be super funny to watch. How he bragged about how good at fighting he was AFTER going thru all the troubles. I wanted to see more of him.

 

3. The relationship of the Xu family. At first the intro of the father, Xu Xiao, was like this almighty Lord who didn't have a heart. And thought his family would suffer from his coldness and stuff, but then... when he was all nervous to go into his son's room... I was like... huh? Then he was like, 'we got new maids? Tell them the family rules' ... I started laughing so hard. I love how the youngest brother basically worships XFN, the part he piggybacked XFN back to the mansion was so cute. The two older sisters and their love for XFN is touching, even tho second sis doesn't sugar-coat any words. And when the father gave XFN the options to deal with the youngest son... XFN really was like... 'you're gonna kill him?!' LOL!!! I wish this doesn't change, it would be a shame if their relationship changes.

 

4. Xu Xiao choosing not to avenge his wife. He knew everything and had the manpower to avenge and then do some more damage, but he chose not to, it must of had been so hard for him. It shows what a great person he is, he would make a GREAT Emperor/King.

 

5. The diverse female maids and the swordswoman. I like Qing Niao most out of all the females in this series, she is willing to die for XFN and even refuses to leave him when she was severely injured. As for Jiang Ni... I also do feel that she is a miscast. She feels more like a bratty younger sister and I was 90% annoyed with her appearance in the scenes... her facial expressions and her movements just seems so out of place?

 

6. The lower-level fighters' fights... it feels like the more powerful the character is... the less they move? That fight scene on the mountain with the two super powerful characters... tornadoes and all... they barely touched and used cgi... that sort of fight is super boring to me. I like the fight scenes where they were 'ambushed' when Pei Nan Wei came to send XFN off.

 

7. The fight to avenge their mother. I was so confused as to why XFN wanted boats/ships earlier on, but when the sisters and brother arrived... I was like... okay, this makes sense. And the appearance of Chen Zhi Bao was especially shocking to me. I thought he had betrayed his adopted father when he hadn't made an appearance at the end. The fight could have been a little better but the reveal of the actual traitor... I went as far as to think XFN was in that iron suit! I knew he wasn't in the carriage with God of Sword, but I was like... how is XFN able to appear at that river? 

 

Spoiler

1. Ah, Joy Of Life is so much fun and entertaining - if you've just watched 1 ep, do try a few more because Zhang Ruo Yun is fab as Fan Xian (and the character is pretty street smart and has modern day knowledge so that is fun to watch too).

 

6. IKR. The more powerful, the more you don't need to do anything than 'mind powers' lol. Li Chun Gang with his 'one sword' wiped out the army of 2000. Xuan Yuan dad killed his brother with a tap to the forehead...ah, the world of the powerful.

 

 

While I had a break in between binging the series, I kinda started reading the novel. It was fun matching up some of the scenes/ storyline with the series, but I am not liking the novel XFN as much as the series one ...hmmm.

[Yinye]

I just started this today since I’m sick in bed and my brain can’t do much but binge shows. I just wanted to say I love the opening title art work - reminds me of Yoshitaka Amano’s art. 
 

2 episodes in and it’s funny and interesting. The relationship dynamics (and cast) is great. 

Edited February 6, 2022 by Yinye

[Yinye]

I am on ep 5 and so far, the show is exceeding my expectations. While not a fan of the too many usage of slo-mo for the fight scenes, I can see it was an artistic take and can live with it. The sets and costumes are also lovely. So far no complaints re the cast. I see many people disliking the FL but I don’t see anything wrong with her acting because it’s spot on so far (she is a young captive Princess with conflicted feelings). The character dynamics and relationships are the best part of the show - I love the entire Xu family, Old Huang best so far. 

 

I also laughed out loud re the underwater lake assassination scenes. Cdrama goofiness remains.

I thought there was a monster of sort but it turns out to be a Kung Fu master lol. It was a good reminder for me that I am watching this Wuxia genre. 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Yinye

[MayanEcho]

2 hours ago, Yinye said:

I don’t see anything wrong with her acting because it’s spot on so far (she is a young captive Princess with conflicted feelings).

 

Xu Feng Nian himself would later claim that he raised Jiang Ni, hahaha! So if she's quite the rogue "maid", she only takes after her "master". 

 

2 hours ago, Yinye said:

The character dynamics and relationships are the best part of the show - I love the entire Xu family, Old Huang best so far. 

 

It's what I loved most with the drama, and gets even better when you watch more episodes. 

 

Happy watching!

[Yinye]

Thx @MayanEcho 

 

I am binging and now up to ep 9. Noooo to Old Huang’s death - I hope it’s a ploy to make ZFN learn martial arts.
 

Actually, I find Jian Ni quite pretty in her own way; I like her character fine. Re OTP - they grew up together (plus the master + maid power dynamic) so of course they would have a bickering dynamic. I find it interesting and am waiting to see where this goes…
 

Just as ZRY isn’t ‘handsome’ by the traditional sense, his charms and strong acting skills makes him appealing and attractive (actually ZFN and his character in Joy of Life have similarities). I also think it’s nice we have new, younger C actress with varying looks - beyond the usual standards.  

So many good veteran Cactors in this show too. 

[Yinye]

Thx @MayanEcho I am binging and now up to ep 9. Actually, I find Jian Ni quite pretty in her own way. 
 

I am on ep 12 and am so impressed at how well the writers wrote the scenes to convey the story. The scene of XFN and XX in the 600 Calvary homage cave room was beautiful. There are so many well written and acted touching moments in this drama. 

[MayanEcho]

7 minutes ago, Yinye said:

I find Jian Ni quite pretty in her own way. 

 

She's actually very pretty when she smiles. You'll see in the later eps when she goes to another trip with XFN.

 

One of the LOL scenes for me was XX preferring to be a waiter in that wine shack at the border rather than face his 2nd daughter, hahaha!

 

LMAO, if enemies of XX want to defeat him and XFN, they should recruit that scary daughter, hahaha!

[Yinye]

So far the Xu family members are all very memorable and yah I love it when XX gets into his father mode and are afraid of his kids lol. I am creeped out by the Master of the fellow student that is aiming to be ‘brother-in-law’ - looking very zombie crossed with the Emperor in Star Wars lol 

had a good laugh

 

I just started ep 14 but it’ll be my last one for the day. 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Yinye

[Yinye]

Oh the Hukui babies are too adorable and boom I loved how it became a murder mystery now too. I just have a question of when XFN’s mother died? I remember the funeral scene and it seemed XFN was a little boy with Jian Ni but then when XFN met his auntie, they kept on saying the royal family didn’t want her to have XFN when she was pregnant - that is just to say there were many assassination attempts? 

[Yinye]

I am up to ep 20 already - so fast!!This drama makes time fly because it’s so enjoyable. Zhao Kai has bad make-up and it’s causing me to laugh out loud! Plot is moving along too. But I need to stop here for the day. 

Edited February 9, 2022 by Yinye

[MayanEcho]

On 2/8/2022 at 4:40 PM, Yinye said:

they kept on saying the royal family didn’t want her to have XFN when she was pregnant - that is just to say there were many assassination attempts? 

 

There might have been signs/gossips/talks that XX's 3rd child would be a son. A son would mean XX has an heir to groom to be the next North Liyang Lord. To prevent that from happening, XX's enemies targeted his pregnant wife. She didn't really recover and would eventually die years later due to her old injuries. 

 

Surprisingly, after what happened while pregnant with XFN, she managed to still bear the Xu's youngest boy. It is the proof that the late Lady of North Liyang had exceptional physique.

 

14 hours ago, Yinye said:

Zhao Kai has bad make-up and it’s causing me to laugh out loud!

 

Next episodes would have plenty enough of pouting Zhao Kai. 

[Yinye]

Man these last few episode made me pity Scholar Lin - who was stupid and manipulated to go after XFN but when his mother disown him w/o even listening to him explain - ouch (especially since she is alive because of the Xu.) Also maybe because we share the same Chinese last name of 林 but it was heavy foreshadowed that he wouldn’t survive. 
 

The scenes with Ms Hehe - beef soup girl - left me so confused because I don’t remember her at all?!?! 

[MayanEcho]

20 hours ago, Yinye said:

The scenes with Ms Hehe - beef soup girl - left me so confused because I don’t remember her at all?!?! 

 

She will be appearing out of nowhere every now and then to both XFN and Zhao Kai, flashing the brightest smiles...before attacking. 

[Yinye]

@MayanEcho she wasn’t shown on screen before right? It is kind of annoying lol 

[MayanEcho]

23 minutes ago, Yinye said:

she wasn’t shown on screen before right? It is kind of annoying lol 

 

Nope, but she's following them around!  Jiang Ni would remember seeing her where they found the Hukui cubs.