Admittedly, I've never read Chinese BL prior to this series. However, it was captivating enough to pull me through 27 volumes. It differs from the historical Japanese BL that I've read in terms of the large scale of its adventurous plot. There's not just romance, but a lot of political intrigue, swordplay action, betrayals and Three Kingdoms/Sengoku style battles and conquests. That element of action and adventure really makes it stand out from the masses.
Though the protagonist, Feng Ming, is both independent and witty, there are definitely moments where Feng Ming relies too strongly upon Rong Tian's aid and plays into the typical damsel in distress uke role. However, rather than neglecting this initial shortcoming in her lead's strong persona, the author utilizes it as a character building point. Feng Ming acknowledges his initial weakness, and seeks to grow more dependable and independent for the sake of standing on equal ground with Rong Tian. It's that rare desire for the uke to become equals with the seme in terms of both political and economic power that makes Feng Ming such an admirable and compelling main character. Seeing him grow stronger and more capable as the story progresses is always exciting.
Likewise, while the main love rival, Ruo Yan starts out fairly flat as a nemesis, the author eventually incorporates a lot of development and fleshes him out as a man who truly loves Feng Ming, yet lacks the capability and experience to be able to express this properly. To be honest, Ruo Yan seems arguably more multi-faceted than Rong Tian as the series progresses.
While Rong Tian's rare displays of vulnerability are some of the most touching scenes in the series, somehow Rong Tian has yet to undergo any sort of really memorable character defining development beyond the first few volumes. As such, Rong Tian has become more defined by his intense love for Feng Ming than any individual character trait. Though my complaints of Rong Tian's lack of development could also be stemmed from the fact that he's most likely my favorite character in the series, and yet the moments when he actually appears in the plot, with some truly fantastic exceptions, tend to be the least exciting moments in Feng Ming's adventures in the long run. I think he has the potential be the most fascinating character in the entire series given how he consistently has to shoulder the burden of playing the strong and dependable king/lover role even when he' s suffering or breaking down emotionally. He's also intriguingly often forced into a morally gray region which puts him at odds with Feng Ming's convictions. Yet the novels only skim over and indirectly allow readers to glimpse the emotional cracks in his character from time to time and never provide a full exploration. Perhaps it's so he'll remain an enigma, or retain the image of an ideal lover for Feng Ming, however it's a bit of a let down since the parts of the story told from Ruo Yan's perspective tend to be more compelling in comparison. I was hoping the rare Rong Tian perspective would run in a similar vein instead of simply being a reiteration of his love for Feng Ming or serving as a mechanism to string together plot points. I have high hopes though that he'll receive further development in volumes to come!
The colorful cast of side characters are certainly lovable as well. Lu Dan and Chu Yin's story is my favorite, as well as the most poignant and memorable. I shed many tears for them, and yet surprisingly little is shown of their actual interaction with each other since their story is predominantly told through Feng Ming's interactions with Lu Dan. In fact, Chu Yin's name isn't even revealed (he is only referred to as the King of Dong Fan in the main story) unless you choose to read the side stories for this series. Mian Ya and Su Jin Chao amuse me more than any other characters thus far. Fantastic comedic relief. Luo Yun is just too adorable (tsundere...) even though his cold exterior and exciting displays of swordsmanship arguably makes him the most badass character in the series. His interactions with Feng Ming are a definite highlight to later volumes.
(-23)
(+11)
