[Review] Joy of Life (庆余年)

I really, really liked this drama. It’s definitely one of the better dramas from 2019…! But the ending though… I cannot accept it….!

BEWARE OF SPOILERS!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! 

Title: Joy of Life (庆余年)
# of Episodes: 46
Release Date: November 26^th, 2019
Where to Watch: YouTube

Plot/Synopsis/Character List

Click here to see information about the plot and main characters at my First Impression page on this drama. Below I will list characters that appeared later on in the drama. Warning: there are a lot of characters.

Wang Qi Nian (王启年), Tian Yu
A quirky bookkeeper from the Overwatch Council who ends up joining Fan Xian. He is a good tracker and surprisingly knowledgeable on various things.

Gao Da (高达), Li Shen
One of Fan Jian’s guards that is assigned to protect Fan Xian during his journey to Northern Qi.

Li Yun Rui/Grand Princess (长公主), Li Xiao Ran
The adopted younger sister of the Qing Emperor and current leader of the Royal Treasury. She is Lin Wan Er’s mother. She secretly wants to kill Fan Xian, but she ultimately fails and ends up getting exiled from the capital.

Zhu Ge (朱格), Li Yi Tian
The leader of the 1^st department in the Overwatch Council. He disapproves of Fan Xian and ends up joining Li Yun Rui, which leads to his demise.

Yan Ruo Hai (言若海), Li Qiang
The leader of the 4^th department in the Overwatch Council. He is a loyal follower of Chen Ping Ping and secretly watches over the Overwatch Council during the leader’s absence. He is also Yan Bing Yun’s father.

Si Li Li (司理理), Li Chun
A spy from Northern Qi who disguises herself as a prostitute at a brothel. She is partially involved in Teng Zi Jing’s death, and gets caught by Fan Xian as she tries to escape. She slowly starts to fall in love with him, despite knowing that he doesn’t love her, and ends up being escorted to Northern Qi to be a concubine for the Emperor.

Yan Xiao Yi (燕小乙), Li Zi Feng
Leader of the Imperial Guards in Southern Qing. He is a level 9 shooter and follower of Li Yun Rui.

Guo Bao Kun (郭保坤), Jia Jing Hui
Son of the Minister of Rites, Guo You Zhi. He initially is at odds with Fan Xian and fought against him several times. When his father is caught and imprisoned, he chases after Fan Xan with the intent of killing him. However, he ends up getting saved by Fan Xian and teams up with him. He eventually stays in Northern Qi to become a spy for Fan Xian.

Xiao En (肖恩), Yu Rong Guang
A general from Northern Qi. He is the one who broke Chen Ping Ping’s legs and ends up getting imprisoned for 10 years. Fan Xian escorts him back to Northern Qi in exchange for Yan Bing Yun. He eventually dies under Shen Zhong’s orders but is able to reveal his secret regarding Ye Qing Mei and his grandson to Fan Xian before his death.

Hai Tang Duo Duo (海棠朵朵), Xin Zhi Lei
A level 9 master and the Priestess of Northern Qi. She is a student of Ku He and was initially sent to kill Xiao En on her master’s orders. However, she ends up befriending Fan Xian and secretly helps him during his time in Northern Qi.

Shen Zhong (沈重), Yu Xiao Wei
The leader of the imperial guards in Northern Qi. He is a meticulous and scheming man who wants to kill both Xiao En and Fan Xian. He is the one who imprisons Yan Bing Yun. After giving up on killing Fan Xian, he dies under Shang Shan Hu’s hands.

Shang Shan Hu (上杉虎), He Zi Ming
Xiao En’s godson and a level 9 master from Northern Qi. He is a powerful general. He wants to save Xiao En and initially stirs up trouble for Fan Xian to save his godfather. However, after Xiao En’s death, he eventually ends up working with Fan Xian to get revenge on Shen Zhong.

Shen-XiaoJie (沈小姐), Dai Wen Wen
*Her name is never revealed!!!* She is Shen Zhong’s sister. Yan Bing Yun initially approaches her to get information on Shen Zhong, but she ends up falling for him. She helps Fan Xian in saving Yan Bing Yun and gets injured during a fight between her brother and lover. Upon Shen Zhong’s request, she is taken to Southern Qing.

Zhan Duo Duo (战豆豆), Liu Mei Tong
The young emperor of Northern Qi. Despite his youthfulness, he is very aware of all of the power struggles that are going on his kingdom and secretly enlists of the help of Hai Tang Duo Duo to help him get rid of his enemies and spy on his mother. He is an avid fan of Fan Xian’s books.

Ye Qing Mei (叶轻眉), Gu Yu Han
Fan Xian’s mother. She is the genius woman who created the Royal Treasury and Overwatch Council. Her knowledge and secrets are coveted by everyone, including Chen Ping Ping and the Qing Emperor. 

Overall Thoughts

Joy of Life is really a unique drama. It details the life of Fan Xian, a reincarnated modern man who has to now live in an ancient world. And, not only does he have to maneuver through a completely new world, he is also given heavy responsibilities to bear by everyone around him. He is expected to take control of the Royal Treasury, become the head of the Overwatch Council, and take on powers beyond that of other men near his age. But while many would be honored to be in Fan Xian’s position, he has no interest in any of it. All he wants is to live a simple life—a life where he chooses what he wants for himself.

The premise that Joy of Life starts with is fairly simple—Fan Xian just wants to live a simple life and everything he does is so that he is able to live the life that he wants. But the more he tries to take things into his own hands, the more complicated things get for him. Not only do new people appear and become an obstacle for him, but Fan Xian also discovers hidden mysteries that indirectly and directly involve him. And, unfortunately, this adds onto his burden and makes it even harder for him to be able to live the life he wants. By the end of the drama, he’s already concluded that he can no longer live such a simple life. With everyone who’s out to get him and everything being thrown at him at every corner, he has no choice seek power strong enough so he can hold his own ground. His dream of living simply is no longer within reach for him. But the great thing about Fan Xian is that he doesn’t let it bring him down. Sure he has moments where he breaks down and feels weak and vulnerable. However, Fan Xian’s keen intelligence and endless motivation to continue going forward helps bring him back to reality so that he can deal with all the challenges that he has to face. For example, Teng Zi Jing’s death was a big blow to Fan Xian. He was completely mortified by his friend’s death. But instead of wallowing in despair, Fan Xian decides to fight back. He goes to kill his friend’s murderer and challenge the authority that looked down upon Teng Zi Jing’s death. And from there, Fan Xian just keeps fighting back.

But Fan Xian isn’t the only cool and amazing character Joy of Life has to offer. Fortunately, many characters in this drama are memorable and serve a good purpose. And they’re all very likable—even the evil ones. Chen Ping Ping and the Qing Emperor are the first ones to come to mind when I think of complex characters. These are characters who you’ll never know what is on their minds, even when they tell you. And that’s because they’re so secretive and calculating that it’s hard to truly understand them. I mean, I’m not even sure if they both truly understand each other. But while they make the story interesting, I’m sure they’re probably very hard to get along with. And that’s why I’m glad that there are several other characters who are much more likable. For example, Fan Jian, Wu Zhu, Fan Ruo Ruo, Hai Tang Duo Duo, Wang Qi Nian, and so forth. All of Fan Xian’s true allies are well written characters. I truly wish that we got to see more of them throughout the story, but unfortunately we don’t get to see enough of each of them and their interactions with Fan Xian. But I do like that they are all dutifully loyal to Fan Xian and always have his back no matter what, especially Fan Jian and Fei Jie.

Anyway, other than the characters, another thing that I really liked about this drama is the flow of its story. Yes, there were draggy parts here and there, but it flowed well overall. Everything connected, made sense, and worked well together. I mean, Fan Xian didn’t just randomly go to the capital and get himself in trouble with random people. No, it was all connected. Fan Xian went to the capital for a reason, he made enemies for a reason (even if he didn’t want to), and so forth. This really helped make the drama more appealing, easier to understand what was happening, and helpful for character development.

But while a lot of things made sense. There are still many, many, many things that I would like clarification on. Before I even get to the ending—which I certainly will—I just want to address some of the unanswered questions that were circling around my head as I watched this drama. One, what is the relationship between Li Yun Rui and Prime Minister Lin? They both have a child (Lin Wan Er) together, yet they literally treat each other as enemies…? I wonder what happened there. Two, what happened to Wu Zhu after he went to challenge Ku He? If Ku He was able to send his top disciple after Hai Tang Duo Duo fails to kill Xiao En, then does that mean Wu Zhu lost to him? Or did Wu Zhu just leave and go to seclusion for a while??? I like him a lot! I just want to know what happened to him (even though he seems to disappear a lot…)! Three, what is the real relationship between the Qing Emperor, Chen Ping Ping, and Fan Jian? It’s obvious that the three are very close and were probably close friends and confidants in the past, but what about now? Also, why did Fan Jian end up becoming Fan Xian’s father even though we all know he’s really the Qing Emperor’s son? Hmm… Soooo many questions there. Fourth, who is the woman that the Crown Prince is longing for? Fan Ruo Ruo mentions to Fan Xian that the Crown Prince continues to draw a woman with no face and it’s obvious that it’s a woman that the Crown Prince cannot have. So, who is she really…? Fifth, is Yan Bing Yun Xiao En’s grandson? I mean, it’s kind of hinted and probably most likely true after Fan Xian tries to figure it out too, but I personally need a verbal confirmation from Chen Ping Ping!!! Sixth, where did Ye Qing Mei come from, why did she fall in love with such a horrible man, what things did she leave for Fan Xian, and how did she die? Everything surrounding this woman is still quite a mystery. Although we do get some clarity of who she is, it’s only a little bit. There are still many questionable things that still linger…! And then there’s the horrible ending where we don’t even know what happens to Fan Xian… I mean, does he die? Does he live? Did Yan Bing Yun really betray him, or did he just do it for show since they were all cornered by Xie Bi An? I need an answer NOW…! And these are only my major questions. Trust me, there are more unanswered things that I want answered as well…!

Overall, I really liked this drama. It’s not my favorite from the 2019 dramas, but it serves as a special drama for me because I just loved Zhang Ruo Yun’s performance in it (and everyone else!). And I do hope that they do a season 2 soon. It does not serve the drama justice if Yan Bing Yun stabbing Fan Xian in the back is the ending. It’ll haunt me forever if I do not know what happens to Fan Xian. The drama needs closure, whether Fan Xian truly dies, is able to turn time back, or something… I just need to know that something happens to him (with a reason why). Anyway, what did you guys think about this drama? Please share your thoughts below!