Ashes of Love (2018)

A visual feast and a very compelling second-male lead

Visually and aesthetically, this drama is gorgeous. Every song, the costumes, the special effects - a feast for the senses. At first, I was a little intimidated by the length, but the story is very captivating from start to finish and focused (for the most part) on the main narrative (unlike other dramas that tend to veer off course and introduce too many secondary characters that act mostly as filler).

Don't be fooled into thinking this is a fluffy rom-com with fantasy elements because at the halfway mark, viewers are bombarded with emotionally impactful and often harrowing scenes that are tear-inducing. The entire cast is brilliant, though I have to mention Luo Yun Xi's performance as Night Immortal / Run Yu. He was SO impressive at depicting his characters' complex, multidimensional, and nuanced layers. In many ways, he is the star of the whole drama, despite his status as second male lead.

Leia Mais

I am happy to say that 3 days of minimum sleep i was able to finish this movie and neverfor once did i ever regret watching ashes of love. This drama gave me another peek to how love can be seen. People say money is the root of all evil and can buy love too , but through this drama i found out that love is a dungeon we all will someday fall into not knowing what lays in there and the moment your in you either happy or doomed. You face sorrow, pain, loss, and happiness in love but the person you facing it is all that matters. Love can make people lose their humanity, love can turn one's mind against each other, but still yet love is beautiful if you are with the right person..to me love is the root of all evil, cause it when you love someone you thrive to be a better person for them and that's when money making comes in.
To those of you wanting to watch this drama pls do you would never regret it. Sorry for my long review, just emotional
Ps: used to think no asian historical drama could beat kdrama but cdrama made me proud.????

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Amazing, epic, fantasy, love story from China

Chinese dramas tend to be quite long & I haven't found one that has held my interest long enough to complete one... until now. The synopsis appealed to me as I've always had an interest in Gods, Goddesses, fantasy & the like but I was slightly concerned about the love aspect & the length of the series.
The three main characters of Jinmi, Xufeng & Runyu are pretty likeable from the beginning and the settings are out of this world (literally most of the time); the production value for scenery and costumes are immense. Yes, 63 episodes is a bit long and whilst watching I felt the human story arc could have been shorter (or turned into a series of its own) but by the finale, I was wishing it would continue for much longer. The series really lies upon Yang Zi's shoulders, as the main protagonist for such a long series her role is vital for its success. Her portrayal of Jinmi is quite extraordinary in my opinion & whilst I prefer the Jinmi of the beginning more so than the end, the character development is beneficial for the storyline & shows the versatility of this actress. Runyu's character arc is definitely the most interesting & well-rounded but also the saddest. The acting from most of the cast is pretty much perfect & I love some of the support characters very much but I must say that Deng Lun & Luo Yun Xi (especially in the later episodes) display some of the best pure, emotional acting I've seen from actors in a long time!
It is serious with love, life & death being major themes but their are lighter moments & even proper laugh out loud ones, especially in the begininng. The ending didn't feel as 'wow' as I was hoping for; it actually felt a bit anti-climactic to me after the epic battle & heartbreak preceding it. Also, I was disappointed that we didn't get to find out what happened to Mr Puchi and Fox Fairy but hopefully, the sequel can shed some light on that 🤞🏻

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Una vera sorpresa!

Ammetto di essermi inserita nel genere xianxa da poco e di non essere una vera appassionata di drama cinesi.
Però, wow, mi sono dovuta davvero ricredere sul genere!
Nonostante la mole di episodi, non mi sono annoiata per nulla durante tutto il percorso dei protagonisti.

Trama: credo che il genere debba piacere per poter apprezzare davvero la serie.
Se non vi interessano storie di divinità e intrecci tra bene e male, cambiate rotta.
Se invece siete dubbiosi semplicemente per via della gran quantità di episodi, vi consiglio di provare come ha fatto la sottoscritta, non ve ne pentirete.
È tutto piuttosto veloce e inserito al proprio posto, motivo per cui non vi ritroverete a saltare parti su parti di discorsi vuoti e scene di poca importanza.
Questa è una delle cose che ho gradito maggiormente: di norma sono restia ad approcciarmi ai drama cinesi proprio perché ho notato che tendono ad allungare il brodo aggiungendo scene che servono poi poco ai fini della trama.
I colpi di scena sono molti, ma senza cadere nel banale e sono comunque accompagnati dai percorsi di ciascun protagonista.
Aggiungo qui l’elogio per gli effetti speciali che mi hanno davvero colpita positivamente.
Mi sono ritrovata quasi sempre a seguire accuratamente ogni scena d’azione, proprio perché affascinata dagli elementi fantastici inseriti. Uno spettacolo per chi come me non ha mai colpo appieno il senso di tutto quel finto volteggiare in aria.
Qui invece devo dire che non c’era mai nulla fuori posto o eccessivamente esagerato, anzi i combattimenti magici sono risultati proprio belli da vedere.

Recitazione: devo dire che gli attori hanno fatto un lavoro fantastico dall’inizio alla fine, anche se personalmente ho apprezzato maggiormente l’interpretazione del protagonista maschile, il Dio del Fuoco. L’attore ha una presenza scenica che fa paura e ti spinge a seguire con attenzione ogni sua scena.
Ho apprezzato di meno la protagonista femminile a cui a mio parere mancava un po’ di anima e trasporto, specie all’inizio con alcuni aspetti che a mio avviso la facevano sembrare un po’ infantile.
Poi la storia si complica, i colpi di scena aumentato e così anche la loro bravura e intensità.

Complicità protagonisti: questa è una di quegli aspetti che ricerco molto quando seguo il percorso delle coppie. Ci deve essere per rendere la storia realistica, ecco.
Qui c’è senza dubbio, anche e soprattutto grazie all’attore protagonista, Deng Lun, che è stato davvero una rivelazione.
Non è solo palesemente attraente, ma ha quel carisma che ti obbliga a seguirlo costantemente durante le scene e a ricercarlo con impazienza.
La complicità è palpabile fin da subito, anche se sono dell’avviso che sarebbe potuta essere ancora meglio se l’attrice protagonista ci avesse messo quel pezzetto di cuore in più.
Per carità, sono stati ottimi entrambi, diciamo solo che dopo aver assistito al coinvolgimento dei protagonisti di Eternal love (che straconsiglio!) l’asticella si è alzata.
Ad ogni modo ogni loro scena romantica è comunque un colpo al cuore.

Emozioni: ashes of love trasmette davvero molte emozioni. Meraviglia, ansia, confusione, eccitazione, curiosità… senza dimenticare le palpitazioni.
È un sali e scendi, un giro sulle montagne russe che dura fino alle ultime battute.

Musiche: beh, che dire, solo che le sono andate a cercare subito dopo aver terminato la serie.
Ost stupenda e sempre azzeccata alla scena.

Love triangle: ebbene se non vi piace, questo drama non fa per voi, dato che è uno degli elementi che impregna la serie.
Devo dire che nonostante sia un’appassionata di storie che presentano il rituale di due uomini che si contendono la bella di turno, alla lunga ha un po’ stancato anche me. Il terzo in comodo più che un amore coltiva una vera e propria ossessione per la protagonista, facendo scendere il più delle volte il livello di romanticismo.
Poi, però, per fortuna in scena torna il Dio del Fuoco che riporta tutto al proprio posto, per cui dategli comunque una chance.

Skinship: anche questo è un’elemento che in genere conto di vedere in una drama che promette una componente romance.
Qui è presente, anche se, ribadisco, dopo aver visto Eternal love, ho dovuto rivalutare per forza di cose. Non tanto per la presenza di scene più passionali, quanto per l’intensità dei protagonisti.
In Ashes of love mi è sembrato leggermente più delicato, con sfioramenti di labbra e qualche abbraccio.
Poi dipende sempre dal gusto personale e da cosa si ricerca: personalmente cerco proprio quelle scene che ti fanno mancare il fiato, senza sfociare nel volgare ed eccessivo.

Ending: non tragica, e questo è naturalmente un punto di forza che mi fa sicuramente dire che lo riguarderò non appena ne avrò la possibilità.
Lo consiglio assolutamente, anche per chi come me non ha tutta questa affinità con la cinematografia cinese.

Leia Mais

Wow! What a drama. Where to start? How about the beginning. I started this drama almost a year ago but I did not like it so I stopped then came back to it because I wanted to watch something while waiting for Love of a Thousand Years to upload. I loved the beginning of this drama when I was already at the saddest part. I hated Jin Mi character in the very beginning but learned to love that because of the climax of this story. Now let's go over my review for this drama.

Story: I loved the story, it was amazing. Though in the beginning I was hooked by the chemistry of the main characters I had to overlook that (for the very first time since I've been watching C-dramas). I liked how every character had a story and each different and sadder than the other. I almost stopped watching this drama but Run Yu's (Leo Luo) character and story made me keep on watching. It finished this drama faster than any other drama because I was expecting a good ending for Run Yu. I already knew the made leads were going to have a great ending so I began to skip their scenes because it was just too unbearable. All in all, a great plot.

Acting: This I have a lot to say but I will keep it short and simple. RUN YU( Leo Luo) WON MY HEART. A lot of people will talk about the two main leads chemistry (which was great), but not for me. I always look at chemistry first while watching a drama then if it is not great I look at the story, then it is still not great, I drop it give it another chance later. This drama was not the case. Even though the leads had great chemistry for me it felt weird. Run Yu story was what made this drama what it is today, I feel a little irritated that the actor did not get a lot of recognition for such a role. He pulled that role better than anyone else would. He was soo lovable, pitiable, cute, and nice. I hated how he did not end up well. Many people say he should not have been so obsessive about the female lead but his bankruptcy of love and all he had to go through in the hand of the empress made his obsession understandable. For the first time, I had the second lead syndrome. Leo Luo is amazing and is the only reason I give this drama this kind of rating if not it would have been lower. All the other actors/actresses pulled their roles very well. I especially liked Yan You, water immortal and Kang lu Run Yu's assistant. Who stood by him from the beginning to the end. It's a pity they did not end up together.

Music: I did not pay much attention to the music but I liked how it wasn't too off.

Rewatch Value: I rated this one very low because Run Yu's end scene broke me into ashes. I couldn't stand how everyone else's got what they needed/deserved but not him. I wished the writer would have made him realize Kang Lu. But still, I can not rewatch this it's too heartbreaking for me.

Conclusion: It was a predictable drama(especially for the main leads) but Run Yu's story gave this drama it's realistic view while the mains leads gave its beauty. It's left for you to decide why you want to watch this drama. Even though I got sick of the main lead chemistry, I have to say they did a great job. One last thing, while watching this drama (if you decide to do so) please understand my boy Run Yu before hating on him. Hats off to LEO LUO(Luo Yin Xi) for pulling off his amazing role. I'll be on my way to check out his other dramas. I hope u liked my review and have a great day.

LEO LUO WO AI NIE

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A RETABLE and DEBATABLE Drama

I LOOOVE this drama,you know you are watching a good drama when everyone in the house is watching it with you,i know its 63 episodes 😃 which seems like a lot,its just to allow you understand each plot.
Every character is relatable,it became a debate in the house,like who should be blamed,did Run Yue go overboard,how much empathy does he deserve? I still have divided house though 😀 ,then the chemistry of the ML and FL was good and all the Supporting actors ,👌🏼beautiful acting,you could feel their pains,there was a point we had to remind ourselves that, its drama,because we could not stop the tears,😭? this is one of those dramas that you keep as "a must watch drama",i love it and am sure,i will watch again and we are still talking about it,so i highly reccomend it👍🏼

Leia Mais

If you are considering watching this, please give it a try!

This is the best xianxia drama I have ever watched. Firstly, the story is drawn out beautifully. To be honest, the beginning did not appeal much to me. I felt it was good, but not to the extent that makes you stay up all night for. But around ep 4/5, there is this uncontrollable urge to complete the entire show in one sitting (I finished it in 3 days). The character development is really good in this show and it feels like you are growing along with the characters. The speed was perfect, every episode is memorable and there are many iconic moments in the drama!

The actors and actresses also did an amazing job. They brought me through a rollercoaster of emotions and even all the supporting characters did such a great job that pulls you in without even knowing. This show was filled with laughter, happiness, sweetness. As the story continues, I become very invested into the show and couldn't resist completing the drama while hoping that it does not end so soon (Despite being a 60+ ep drama).

The songs were also great!! They are really apt for the drama and they accentuate all the scenes that the music was played making it even sweeter/ more touching.

I really do not know how to emphasize further how good this drama is!!! The plot, the acting, and songs, and the whole 'drama world' was done so perfectly. It is the kind of show you will want to rewatch so many times, but think that it is so valuable that you do not want to rewatch so much that the feelings for the drama will fade. Not only so, but it is so rare that the ENTIRE show is soooo rewatchable that even the heart-wrenching scenes are done so well that you want to rewatch them. (Usually when I rewatch shows, I try to skip the emotional scenes and only play the happy and funny scenes)

Once again, this show is REALLY REALLY VERY DAMN GOOD. Please watch it!! You will not regret! I really think it deserves more publicity and love from everyone although I know it is well-received in China.

Leia Mais

I've just finished watching so everything I am writing now is my immediate and true feelings regarding this drama.

Story: The overall story was very impressive. It was a bit cliche, but which drama isn't? I loved how in the beginning JinMi and XuFeng were both innocent and how the storyline was quite light-hearted. Then the story beautifully progressed into something bigger than the both of them - from the humor and fluff, it was made into something raw and charged with emotion. I especially loved the time they spent in the Mortal Realm, where they were free to love each other without the restraint of their duties as immortals. Their story really developed there, and the mortal arc created a basis in which the rest of the story could progress. After the mortal realm, it began to get quite angsty, with different people trying to take advantage of them and whatnot. It was also when we as the audience felt the most heart broken. After the war, it did drag a bit to create doubt about whether JinMi was going to come back or not. The ending was happy, but perhaps not the most fulfilling. There was a rough explanation about JinMi which I personally felt cheated about as I endured a whole episode waiting for something profound to happen. I didn't really feel satisfied with the whole thing but it was cute to see how they lived their normal life with a son and everything. I was glad that RunYu remained Heavenly Emperor, hopefully he makes great achievements to redeem himself. I don't know how I feel about XuFeng giving up his Demon Lord position, but oh well. However I wanted to see the other characters too, like YanYou and the Moon Immortal etc. at the end. Overall the story is wonderful, but was lacking a little in the end.

Acting: I liked YangZi the most, I feel. She was able to express both the young and naive side of JinMi and also the more mature side who would do their best for love. The progress of how JinMi became her current self was aptly acted out. I also really liked how the voice acting paired well with her character. When she was happy, sad, or angry, the voice was able to bring out those raw emotions. XuFeng was also quite well acted out by DengLun. I remember him in Princess Agents, and I loved him in that. This character is quite different but nevertheless I still love him. In the end, there were a lot of his monologues which made me want to cry, so kudos. I didn't like his voice at times, but most of the time it was good. RunYu was wonderfully acted out. I could feel everything he was feeling, which made me feel very sad at times. The character really gave me an emotional rollercoaster ride - there were times I hated him to the core, and times where I couldn't help but want to comfort him and cry for him. The voice acting suited him perfectly. Every other character was well done, the only one that I am not happy with is SuiHe. The actress is fine, but the movement of her mouth paired with the voice acting didn't really match so it was annoying. Other than that, the cast was superb.

Music: Oh. My. God. The OST made me want to cry everytime and it was stuck in my head whenever I wasn't watching the drama. The times the songs came out were well placed, and the singers did a wonderful job of expressing emotions. The songs were also very well written. All the songs somehow connect with each other in some way, which I really liked. YangZi and DengLun sang a song each and also have a duet. The music is probably one of the best things about this drama, if not the best.

Rewatch value: The drama is quite long and drags a bit in episodes 45-51 and episodes 62-63 and some other areas. I had to skip some parts that I didn't feel interested in. A tip for people who feel impatient: speed each episode up by 1.25x. I find personally that this gives a comfortable timing and also lessens the times where you have to wait for things to happen. The drama is good for rewatching but it's just that it's quite long and quite emotion-packed, so may not be best suited for a quick binge. But if you have the time to devote yourself to this drama more than once, then be sure to rewatch.

Leia Mais

Epic love - definitely worth a watch

Production and Music:
This is one drama where I feel I can actually comment on the production and music because usually I don't notice these things in a series. The scenery in this drama are truly amazing - it just wowed me throughout the series. The music was also so on point, it was perfectly done to create the emotions you are supposed to have for each moment.

Story and Characters:
The storyline is something I enjoy, I love fantasy and the story was an interesting one. It can be considered an epic love story and the characters all have their charm. I think this is a story where character development is done rather well, you understand the "villains" and the "good guys" and they aren't your typical characters that you hate or love. Each character had redeeming qualities. Where the drama lost points for me is the last 10+ episodes because we see a lot of moping around of the three main leads. These kind of scenes really annoy me because its kind of boring to watch a character cry and weep and not actually move the story along. And we had to watch three mopers one after the other in this drama for quite a few episodes. Overall though, it is definitely worth the watch and rewatch.

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