Whirlwind Girl 2 is the journey of young woman, Qi Bai Cao’s (An Yue Xi) return into the Yuan Wu Dao (martial arts) realm. She meets a new professor, Chang An (Ji Chang Wook) who was sent to Song Bai by Chu Yuan, who was one of the male leads in season one. The drama features Bai Cao competing in several martial arts competitions, training of Song Bai disciples by Chang An, and Ting Hao’s relentless pursuit of Bai Cao’s love.
Bai Cao’s character had been a little bit annoying from the start. You’d think that by the end of season two, her character would have developed at least a little in terms of her stubbornness. As the female lead being pursued by two handsome male leads (and hell, even three in season one), you’d think that her character would have more depth. She has this sort of unstoppable curiosity, and it’s good at times but sometimes it’s a little too overarching, which makes her character seem overly persistent. She’s the main lead; let me dig into her life, her morals, her thought process! But don’t give me the same trait every single time. There must be some other fantastic quality to her character apart from her unwavering determination.
Ah, Ting Hao, played by Chen Xiang, is actually the favorite character of many viewers. “The second lead syndrome is real” as I’ve read in the comments before. Poor Ting Hao, regardless of how fervent he is in demonstrating his love for Bai Cao, she won’t ever love him back the way he wants her to. This guy is the perfect example to explain the term “friend-zoned”. It’s saddening really, given how much effort he invests in this unrequited love. Towards the middle-end of the drama, you can see a huge transformation in Ting Hao. His love for Bai Cao becomes almost like an obsession, and this obsession is, frankly, frightening and definitely unhealthy! But it shows character development, and I really like that.
Our other male lead, Chang An’s mysteriousness is endearing and it’s what pulls a lot of the viewers in (well, I mean, other than the fact that he’s played by Ji Chang Wook). This character has a really intriguing story and I don’t know if it’s because he had just been introduced into the drama or whatnot, but his character seems to have more depth than the others. The unraveling of Chang An’s past is something that kept me hooked to the show. In a way, he’s almost like Ruo Bai. He displays a cold demeanor, but we all know he’s a softie! Ji Chang Wook portrayed the character really well; he really brought out Chang An’s vibe. (That’s no surprise, though!)
I thought that as a sequel, watching this would require watching the first season, but there is hardly any need for that as they only mention Ruo Bai. Viewers don’t even need to watch the first season to follow along with the plot — which, in my opinion, is really lacking in this season. There is barely any story line to follow. There are fight scenes. There are scenes of Ting Hao pursuing an unrequited love. There are scenes of Chang An training Bai Cao and the rest of the members of Song Bai. But that’s sort of all there is to it. I had expected so much more.
A lot of the scenes seemed to be dragged out, and there were many parts of the episodes that included flashbacks of past scenes. These flashbacks became extremely repetitive. There definitely was significance to it, but they probably could have toned it down a bit. The last two episodes (35 & 36) consisted of like 95% flashbacks — you can probably imagine how frustrating that was. Viewers are expecting to see the drama wrap up, but we only get like 15 minutes worth of actual present-time scenes, while flashbacks occupied the rest of the time frame. Moreover, there are a lot of unanswered questions (plot holes) at the end of the season, and I’m sure that hints a season three but come on, the ending should be enough to satisfy your viewers! The ending was so maddening, I can’t even begin to explain it. We don’t get to see what was in that case that Chang An supposedly always keeps with him, nor do we find out whether or not Ruo Bai will return. Will Ting Hao accomplish his goal of changing the Yuan Wu Dao world, and will he leave Feng Yun? Does Yin Xiu return to Chang Hai?
Maybe this is just me rambling nonsensically because I felt so null after binge-watching the series, but I still really like this drama — well, the idea of it. I wish that the story had developed more and that there was a clearer focal point to it. I wish that we could see more three-dimensional characters without over-exaggerated personalities. I’m really hoping that season 3 satisfies the fangirl in me, because it would be totally disappointing if it doesn’t. I do recommend giving this drama a try, but if after a few episodes it turns out to be too much to bear, then I’d suggest that you stop right there.
(P.S. The soundtrack is really nice! I found myself singing along to the songs after I became familiar with them as the drama progressed. The songs were pretty fitting to the mood of the scenes.)