Warning: MEDIUM SPOILERS
Introduction
Have you ever wanted to watch a drama only to find out that it is a part of a series and most likely, you need to watch several parts or even the whole series to understand the story? That was me with Ultimate Note. When this drama came out last year, I was so hesitant to watch it that I put it off until not too long ago. I’m glad I finally did, though!
Ultimate Note (终极笔记) is a 2020 Chinese drama adapted from books 5, 6, 7, and partly 8 of “The Grave Robbers’ Chronicles”/Daomu Biji (盗墓笔记) by Kennedy Xu. As someone who never read the books nor watched any other related drama from the Grave Robbers’ Chronicles/Daomu Biji series, I will write this article from that point of view. If you are not Daomu Biji fans, you probably haven’t watched Ultimate Note, nor are interested in this riveting drama.
Synopsis
One day, Wu Xie gets a package of cryptic videotapes that pique his curiosity about his uncle’s past. The tapes reunite him with his best friends, Wang Pang Zi and Zhang Qi Ling, among others. Together, they embark on a thrilling but dangerous adventure to find the mysterious location of Tamutuo.
Let’s start with tips on how to be able to enjoy a drama that is part of a series as a stand-alone. I use Ultimate Note as an example; however, these tips can be used in any drama.
Tips on How to Enjoy a Drama as a Stand-Alone
Do some research
You may think, why the heck do I have to do some research just to watch a drama? It is quite fun, actually. I do that from time to time for dramas with prequels, sequels, seasons, or series that I will have no time for, nor am interested in watching their related dramas.
How do you do research? It is very simple: online, by typing in the drama title (in English or its native language so that you can Google translate it) and ‘story’, ‘novel’, ‘synopsis’, ‘character’, and ‘cast’ as keywords.
Specifically for this drama, I remember a previous MDL article written about the series: A Guide to the Grave Robbers Chronicles by KimWanHee. I read the article when it first came out and was interested in the series. I made an attempt to watch the series from the beginning, it chronologically starts with The Mystic Nine. After watching several episodes, I was bored and dropped it. So when Ultimate Note came out, naturally, I was unsure if I could watch it till the end. Especially since it is an adaptation of the books that are in the middle of the entire series. When I was ready to watch Ultimate Note, I read the article again to find some basic information on the clans and the main characters. I also read more about them on the Fandom website. Warning though, somewhere on that site (not the direct link I put here) is a detailed recap that spoils the plot. So don’t go too far with your research!
Find out the initial drive(s) to start the drama
Everyone has different preferences that drive you to pick a drama, whether that is cast, synopsis, topic, etc. You can also feel compelled to watch it after being recommended or reading reviews/comments. So, let me just tell you what aspects initially motivated me to watch Ultimate Note.
Leading actor Joseph Zheng
The first factor that drove me to watch this drama was the actor who played the main protagonist: Joseph Zeng/Zeng Shun Xi (曾舜晞). His first drama time I watched with him as the main lead is The Journey Across the Night, and I’m impressed with his acting there. He has those big round eyes that can deliver a variety of emotions beyond words. I can’t believe I have written two recap articles on his dramas!
Friendship
The second factor that drove me to watch this drama is the theme of friendship. Talking about the friendship formed in this drama won’t be complete without introducing the eight characters you saw in the top banner poster. Although not revealing the plot, there will be mild spoilers in describing them. So if you really don’t want to be spoiled, just skip reading about these incredible guys and go straight to the next section: Real Filming Locations.
Iron Triangle
The Iron Triangle is the strong friendship between Wu Xie, Zhang Qi Ling, and Wang Pang Zi. It simply refers to the formidable bond and friendship that the three have with each other. The term is not in the book but was created by Daomu Biji fans. The author stated that they are more than just friends. They trust each other 100 %, tease and prank each other, care and worry about each other. They are soul brothers.
Wu Xie (Joseph Zeng/Zeng Shun Xi/曾舜晞)
Wu Xie is nicknamed Xiao San (Little Three) because there are only three members in his family: his second uncle, his third uncle (from whom he gets the aspiration in tomb raiding), and Wu Xie. That makes him the sole heir of the Wu Clan of the Mystic Nine he has an affluent antique business. Hence he is highly knowledgeable in history and assessing antiques.
In expeditions, Wu Xie is an expert in mystery-solving due to his brilliant mind. Dealing with people in the antique business also makes him understand people well, a skill often useful during exploration as he becomes the peacekeeper in the group.
Despite all his capabilities, Wu Xie is also the weakest of the three in fighting skills, but his two friends cover for him anytime. He overthinks things and worries about everything. He is highly protective of his friends, especially Qi Ling, as they share a similar background. Wu Xie is an orphan. Qi Ling has no family. So who is Qi Ling?
Zhang Qi Ling (Xiao Yu Liang/肖宇梁)
Qi Ling is as mysterious as his name. His surname Zhang indicates he is the descendant of the secret Zhang Clan of the Mystic Nine. Wu Xie and Pang Zi call him Xiao Ge (Little Brother), as he looks young and thin. But don’t be deceived; he is the strongest despite his look.
Qi Ling is highly skilled in martial arts and a master of using swords and knives. His clan’s special power is in his index and middle fingers (can’t spoil you what the ability is). His other power also lies in the tattoo on his body, which depicts the mythical beast Qilin that only appears with elevated body temperature. He also has Qilin’s blood run through him.
Wang Pang Zi (Cheng Fang Xu/成方旭)
When Pang Zi met Wu Xie for the first time, they clicked with each other right away, perhaps since they were both orphans. Pang Zi is nicknamed Pang Ye or Fatty by people who know him, but he isn’t bothered by it. He is an outgoing person and likes to joke around; he lifts people’s moods even in dire situations. He often teases Wu Xie and Qi Ling, so it’s an epic moment if they could get back at him (see clip below).
Pang Zi is self-confident and also likes to take good care of his looks and clothes. Being an experienced mercenary in the past, Pang Zi is very knowledgeable in tomb raiding and appraising valuables, as well as highly skilled in combat and explosives. Once hired professionally by whoever can pay the highest, now Pang Zi mostly accompanies Wu Xie in exploring. Though he is not as skillful as Qi Ling in fighting, he’s physically strong. He is also sharp-eyed and many times able to detect people in disguise.
Yu Cheng and Yan Jing Duo
They started as enemies, mostly to Yu Chen, since Yan Jing annoys him as he keeps trying to sell items along the journey. Their friendship didn’t begin until they got separated from the group. They must go through treacherous tunnels and underground chambers with ancient traps to stay alive and eventually escape. After experiencing life and death together, they become fast friends though still bickering along the way.
The above picture shows their typical scene: Yan Jing shoving his credit card machine to sell an item and Yu Chen pulls out his credit card. They are like the angel (Yu Chen wearing white) and the devil (Yan Jing wearing black). More about this unique duo is below.
Xie Yu Cheng (Liu Yu Han/刘昱晗)
Yu Chen is Wu Xie’s childhood friend. When they meet again in this drama, Wu Xie is surprised that Yu Chen is a guy! All along, Wu Xie thought Yu Chen was a girl; he was even nicknamed Xiao Hua (Little Flower) when he was little. Yu Chen is indeed a refined young man with high intelligence and art, cultured in Peking opera performance.
He likes cleanness and always wears white. Although Yu Chen is young, he is the current head of the Xie Clan of Mystic Nine. The reason he becomes the head of the clan is that his uncle disappears during a tomb exploration with Wu Xie’s uncle; that’s how the childhood friends meet again. As the head of the family, Yu Chen also practices martial arts to keep the family’s reputation, besides being very knowledgeable in IT. Yu Chen also inherits the family business, so he is a rich businessman. Therefore, many times, he has to bail his friends out of financial troubles, being a guarantor for their debts. Yu Chen is the target of Yan Jing’s business to sell whatever is needed during the adventure, lol. We will talk about Yan Jing next.
Hei Yan Jing (Liu Yu Ning 刘宇宁)
Yan Jing is the second mysterious guy in the group after Qi Ling. You will see him only wearing black shades and black clothing. So he is nicknamed Black. He never takes off his shades, even in the dark tunnel. He only takes off his sunglasses once in front of Yu Chen, but we don’t get to see what he looks like.
So now comes the question of why he always wears dark shades. Due to a disease that makes his eyes extremely sensitive to light yet at the same time gives him excellent night vision, he is never seen without sunglasses. Besides night vision, Yan Jing also has exceptional hearing and smell senses that make him great at detecting danger. Those strengths, along with combat and finding trap skills, make him work as a skilled mercenary. If not doing tomb-raiding jobs, Yan Jing has a blind massage business. He is also a shrewd salesman; he tries to sell many things during their expeditions and seems to have large supplies of items. Yan Jing is like Houdini; he can disappear to investigate something or save someone in life-threatening situations and go back unscathed, carefree.
Real Filming Locations
The last factor that drove me to watch this drama is the location setting with amazing natural backgrounds. I give extra points for dramas that were filmed in real locations (not studios), so I was happy when I heard that since the production company didn’t have to (over)pay popular actors/actresses for this drama, they were able to use the budget for production, including filming a huge part of the drama outdoor in various natural settings.
Below are pictures from the Tamutuo location setting that cover about the first third of the drama.
Notice additional features that make you stay until the end
If the second tip suggests finding aspects that motivate you before starting a drama, this last tip is figuring out additional features that make you stay watching until the end. For some people, maybe plot twist, ending, supporting cast, chemistry, etc. For me, with Ultimate Note, there are three features:
Blend of suspense, action, and comedy
For the first feature, I noticed a blend of three elements that keep Ultimate Note entertaining throughout the drama: suspense, action, and humor. Almost in every step they make, and every time they turn their head, danger awaits! There are a lot of enemies in the form of humans, mystical beasts, big or small, ghosts, and even ‘things’. Almost all characters, both main and important supporting characters, have to know how to fight back or escape. A lot of running, jumping, hiding, fighting, and other exciting action scenes to watch. And even in frightful situations, there is always humor thrown here and there to ease the tension.
Scientific explanation and survival techniques
I also found that despite the supernatural nature of the story, the characters enlighten the audience with scientific explanations that defy superstition and lessen the horror of a frightening situation. Besides logical clarifications, the drama teaches us many survival skills during the adventure. This knowledge is especially prolific during their outdoor missions in the beginning and end parts of the drama. Their escape from many life-threatening situations using survival techniques during the first part of the drama made me keep watching despite not knowing what exactly was going on.
Realistic-looking sets and props
Besides the real filming locations, the production team built a heck of studio sets. The props used and the scenery built in this drama look real and amazing on-screen.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I think we can watch a drama that is part of a series, sequels, or seasons without having to watch the rest. By taking a little time to do some research, figuring out what features initially attract you to pick the drama, and observing the strong points that make you keep watching it until the end, I believe you can enjoy a drama separately. I did with this outstanding drama!
And if any of my explanation above does not allure you to watch Ultimate Note, the clip below might do! 😉
Credits: I do not own any of the images used. Credits go to the respective owners. Images are from the official posters, screenshots, and Google search. GIFs are self-made taken from the drama scenes.
The original article was published on April 14, 2021. Link HERE.
