Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain was Personally Confusing
I honestly find Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain to be very polarizing. I spent a lot of my watch-time annoyed by the character’s or their dynamics and how static they were, but I also really enjoyed the pacing and setting. I originally picked up the series because it was a fantastic setting with magic and beautiful landscapes. The story itself is setup as quite interesting, with overly-confident and skilled Wang Lu attempting to join the Lingjian Sect and finding out that they can’t accept him under normal circumstances because they have no way to teach him proper cultivation.
That they totally do? It is stated when Wang Lu is initially rejected that his Void Spirit Root is very powerful, but that it can’t be cultivated. However, as the series progresses, Wang Lu progresses through the stages of cultivation, and I can’t figure out if there is anything that he can’t do that the other disciples can. He is capable of physical fighting, a fact that plays a lot into his development of Wuxiang Bones, and he uses magic on occasion. He has a harder time with it, but he manages just fine. In fact, Wang Lu regularly defeats enemies stronger than him using his intellect, which I found quite interesting for a physically proficient protagonist.
I also really enjoyed Wang Lu’s relationship with Xiaohai because I felt like they really got each other in a way that others in their world couldn’t. They are both very intelligent, playful, trusting, and loyal; and I ate up every second of it. I wanted to know how they would navigate the next hurdle that came up, and the fact that the series ends with Xiaohai breaking up with Wang Lu was absolutely heartbreaking. In fact, most of the friendships in this show were really nice and believable. Wang Wu’s relationship with Ling was both motherly and sisterly, and I really liked seeing them interact. They annoyed each other but loved each other, which I appreciated.
That said, this is probably the only series that I’ve seen in recent memory where I don’t actually ship any of the characters together romantically. I don’t really have a point to make with that, except that it is rare for me, and a little refreshing. So it should come as no surprise that I do not ship Wang Wu and Wang Lu, the least of the problem being that they are technically student and teacher and it’s ICKY! (Plus Wang Wu is still hung up on her ex and consistently thinks she sees him instead of Wang Lu).
And the final scenes of the series really pissed me off and make me hope that there will be a season two.
I suppose my final thoughts of the series is that the characters are interesting, even if they don’t change all that much, and their dynamics are worth it. The story is episodic, which helps keep up the pacing and narrative. And I find the “ending” to be very frustrating and polarizing. Also, Xiaohai is my boy and doesn’t deserve any of this BS.
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