Period C-drama My Journey to You ended unexpectedly this Friday as iQiyi went from a snail pace one episode a day to dropping the final 7-episodes in one sitting for the finale. Now that it’s over, I can safely say this is my second favorite summer 2023 C-drama after Lost You Forever but totally it’s own unique specimen in an increasingly homogenized world of wuxia and xianxia C-dramas. I loved the dark and stylistic visuals, it can be a tad pretentious but was tempered by how well fleshed out all the characters were and the lovely plotted emotional threads. This drama made me tear up, frequently and for different characters and moments. The drama looked sleek but felt emotionally real. The Gong boys of Front Mountain and the hidden dudes of the Back Mountain each got their own narrative and moments to connect while the Wufeng ladies plus Oldest Sister complemented their male counterparts by outsmarting them but losing their hearts to innate decency and kindness.

The two sets of lead romances were lovely but I loved so much more the everything else. Master Yue and little sis Yun Que, Elder and Young Master Huas’ daddy/son ending, Master Xue and his companion/bestie, Shang Jue and Yuan Zhi but really all that big brother-ing done good and bad in this story, and let’s not forget the two Wufeng ladies and the tear jerking goodbyes with their respective handlers. I got so many new faves out of this drama with Yu Shu Xin, Zhang Ling He, Cheng Lei, Lu Yu Xiao, and many of the supporting and rookie actors were all memorable and I will totally recognize in future roles. I thought the battle of wits between Gong and Wufeng was nicely done and the Big Bad a well slotted last minute twist, but ultimately this drama wasn’t about the conspiracy as much as it was about people grieving, overcoming, and finding that love however fleeting is so very lifechanging.