C-drama The Demon Hunter’s Romance gets shock release
In a massive surprise to most C-drama fans, the long-awaited fantasy drama The Demon Hunter’s Romance premiered today on iQIYI.
It is a drama that was filmed a couple of years ago, and then disappeared into the ether after female lead Song Zu Er was accused of tax evasion.
Come on, you know what it’s like in much of Asia where, unlike in the west where an actor pretty much has to murder someone for a project to be canned, in countries like China, even the hint of a scandal can ruin a production for everyone else involved in it.
Luckily, as it now turns out, Song Zu Er had not evaded paying taxes, and so was eventually cleared of any wrong doing by the pertinent authorities.
Hence, the premiere of the first six episodes of The Demon Hunter’s Romance on iQIYI today.
Something that also means the previously planned C-drama Love in Pavilion has now been delayed. Reportedly until after The Demon Hunter’s Romance ends.
Review: The Demon Hunter’s Romance, Episode 1 – a slow start
So, onto my review for Episode 1 of the new fantasy romance drama (titled 无忧渡 in China).
A Chinese drama that, to me at least, has a slow start for its first episode as we meet demon hunter Xuan Ye (played by Allen Ren) and girl-who-can-see-demons Ban Xia (Song Zu Er).
To other viewers, it may have moved faster as we do get a murder, plus the introduction of both Xuan Ye and Ban Xia and her family when she returns to her hometown after seeking treatment for an illness (she can see demons, nobody believes her).
Throw in a new sister-in-law who, it turns out, is a demon herself, and you could be forgiven in thinking this one moves quickly.
It doesn’t.
Not with the too many scenes of Ban Xia either alone with her maid, or with family members, where the pacing is so off versus the rest of the drama they pull you out of the immersion.
If it hadn’t been for the interesting premise, the banger of a soundtrack with gorgeous opening and ending theme songs and lovely background music, and the decent cinematography and set designs so far, I probably would have dropped the Chinese drama by now.
Maybe.
What is keeping me interested in The Demon Hunter’s Romance so far
Besides the things I just mentioned, there are other things that, if the drama incorporates more of them as it continues, could easily become big reasons why I will watch all 36 episodes.
- The limited-so-far CGI of the demons and spirits (the fish, the adorable rabbit and the wings of sister-in-law demon) is nicely done. Should that carry over to scenes that are more involved, and that feature much more extravagant supernatural beings, I would be all in for that. With the hint of the demon wedding as Episode 1 ends, I have a feeling that may just be the case.
- The excellent performance of Song Zu Er is a big draw to the Chinese drama. Particularly as it appears, while Ban Xia might seem empty and vacuous during Episode 1 (and SZE does a brilliant job portraying that), once she gets involved with Xuan Ye and admits to herself that demons are most definitely a thing, I would bet money she is far more kickass.
- Speaking of Xuan Ye, he is a bit non-descript in the first episode. Decent enough looking, nice hair (more relaxed than the usual too-manicured hair on Chinese men in fantasy dramas), and appears to have a mischievous personality. But, as he only appears in a few scenes, it’s currently difficult to tell. As I haven’t been disappointed in an Allen Ren performance yet, though, he is likely to be a draw soon as well.
- The Demon Hunter’s Romance supporting characters seem fully fleshed out, and we don’t have any obvious cardboard cut-out villains. Yet. Ban Xia’s family are sweet and genuinely caring, and her new demon sister-in-law (nicely played by the wonderful Wang Yi Yao), while obviously a danger, also has quite a bit of mystery about her. Yep, she could be stereotypically evil, or she could have something else going on where we may end up sympathizing with her to some extent. Hard to tell. But definitely an intrigue.
- Not only is the main cast stellar, but The Demon Hunter’s Romance supporting cast is excellent as well. I mean, how could you go wrong with Hankiz Omar (Love in the Desert), Xuan Yan (Joy of Life 2), Liu Qi Qi (Romance in the Alley), Liu Ruo Gu (The Spirealm), He Lei (Blossoms in Adversity), and Li Yu (A Moment But Forever) just to name a few.
All in all then, while Episode 1 of The Demon Hunter’s Romance could have been a little tighter, all of the above pieces are why I am now heading off to watch Episode 2 as soon as I have published this.
Besides, I honestly do have the attention span of a gnat on its third line of cocaine, so a new C-drama has to be pretty decent for me to stick with it
Considering then that the first 45 minutes of The Demon Hunter’s Romance grabbed my attention enough that I finished it, there’s a good chance its other 35 episodes could actually mesmerize me.
And yes, I am hoping that is the case, as it would be nice if Song Zu Er, after all the stress she must have lived through over the last couple of years, ends up with a new hit on her hands, wouldn’t it?
Brit-American journalist based in Austria,. Former radio DJ at 97X WOXY, and Founder/CEO of Leo Sigh. I’ve covered K-drama, K-pop, anime, and manga news for over a decade.