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The Best Fantasy C-Drama I've ever watched
This drama is a Priceless Gem.I cannot say anything new about this drama probably that others haven't already said but I have to write this and express my love for this drama nevertheless.
Plot: 10.0
This is so well thought and written drama, it is unbelievable.
Every step is so brilliantly constructed, every character has its own story and motivation, you can see it all the time for all of them, good guys or villains, their motivations, desires, motives, everything is there.
What I truly love, villains are so well made that you even feel sorry for them in the end, because they were trapped in their own story and had good reasons why they did something in the way they did.
In the most of the tv shows or movies I've watched, villains are mainly bad just because... reasons, or they want to have power over others or just being brutal without even a reason, here every villain had started as a normal fine human being but with some wrong moves and intentions they were slowly going that path of evil.
*** THE SPOILERS AHEAD ***
Rarely I like watching love triangles in tv shows, but here, it is somehow created unlike any other drama I've watched, this love story is so different, I suffered and enjoyed it at the same time, so bitter sweet emotions for me.
It was so sweet to watch falling in love between XF and JM in the heavenly realm but for me favorite part was their falling in love on earth, even though I'm a male, I cried so hard, this is such a beautiful love story.
RY is a brilliantly written tragic character. His obsession is an example of what one can do if one lose the love in their soul, he so desperately wanted to be loved by somebody (JM) that he became obsessed.
His obsession became the most important thing to him, he sacrificed everything for even little bit of love or just affection, of even just to be around of JM that he overlooked her love for XF, her happiness which should be very important to him if he genuinely loved her, he overlooked his own brother's love for him, and we saw very clearly in the end that XF always loved him sincerely.
*** THE END OF THE SPOILERS ***
I could write many more about plot and what I really like but it would be too long so I stop here :)
When I watched this drama for the first time, I enjoyed the love story of support leads but when I re-watched it for the second and the third time, I skipped most of the scenes with them because I just wanted to see love story between XF and JM again and again, heartbreaking but beautiful.
Acting: 10.0
They are just great, main roles, support roles, everybody was just great, I cannot say enough praises for all of them.
Music: 10.0
Music is awesome, outstanding, I developed some kind of emotions when I hear theme songs, whenever I hear that music, I feel like I'm gonna cry, and feel some kind of warmth in my chest, music just amplified the emotions of the story by billion, by infinite :)
Re-watch: 10.0
I’ve watched it three times already and only time will tell how many more times I’ll watch it in the future.
I cannot recommend this drama enough, DEFINITELY MUST WATCH Drama.
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Actors and actresses acted well. I have no comment.
Music? Wow I like how the opening song can be used for not only the opening but also for the sad moment. By using the song produced in different style (different way of singing? IDK). Not a music expert oops, sorry, wish you guys could understand what I mean. Kinda like the song a lot, I even sang along with it.
In a nutshell, wow man, worth to devote my time to watch this. Good story, feel that 60+ episodes went past quickly. Could not find any flaws... Wish all drama watchers out there, you guys should not miss this drama. Happy watching :).
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Story:
First of all, I knew this drama was adapted from a book, but I haven't read the book when I watched this, so I won't compare them.
This drama has the classic plot of two-man-fighting-over-one-girl. It's not bad, but I think I could guess the dynamic from the start, so I wasn't surprised. The unique element in this story was the yun dan (the unfeeling pill) and the fact that Jin Mi couldn't feel love. This fact made room for conflicts and kept the story interesting.
The beginning of the story was very sweet and funny, but towards the middle of the drama it got a bit long and draggy. They added a lot of side stories for supporting characters. I mostly skip them because it didn't really affect the main story, but actually the side stories were not bad at all. Towards the end, it was really good, especially because the side stories are not as much as the middle. The story focused back on the main characters and the conflicts escalated and got even more interesting. Gosh! I really love all the misunderstanding, betrayal, remorse, and redemption in this story! The heartbreak were actually the best part because even though the main characters were not lovey-dovey, you can feel their love for each other even more!
Despite all the love for the story, it did get too long before we reach the peak of the conflict. I definitely think the episodes could be shorter.
Acting/Cast:
I don't know much about Chinese actors and actresses, but I've done some research on the casts of this drama.
Yang Zi as Jin Mi - Of all the main casts, I think she was the most experienced and she was actually regarded as one of the best female actress of her age in China. This shows in her acting. I think she acted really well and capable of portraying Jin Mi's development throughout the story.
Deng Lun as Xu Feng - I actually fell in love with his acting in this drama! He was really good! I was surprised to know that he was pretty new in the industry, given that he debuted in 2013. I think he gave Xu Feng some boyish charm, and oh boy his eyes!!! I was amazed at how he could deliver emotion through his eyes so well! It was like with one stare you knew he was madly in love with Jin Mi, and another stare you knew his heart was broken.
Luo Yun Xi (Leo) as Run Yu - If I wasn't mistaken, he was a ballet dancer and a singer! I think his theatrical acting came through and it actually suits Run Yu, especially because this is a xianxia drama. I think overall, he did well in portraying Run Yu's complex personality.
Music:
This drama has 4 original theme songs and some of them were sung by different singer so in total there were 7.
- Unsullied (??).
Sang by Mao Buyi for the opening theme song, also sang by Sa Dingding and Jian Hongyi. (Wikipedia) Honestly, I only heard the versions sang by Mao Buyi as the opening and Sa Dingding as the drama background song (I'm sorry Jian Hongyi). I really love the lyrics in this song and I personally didn't get bored hearing this song over and over again in the drama.
- Upwards to the moon (????), sang by Sa Dingding.
This is the song played at the ending. It has a strong war vibe and actually used in the war scene.
-Unpararelled in the world/Heaven and earth without frost (????)
There are 2 versions of this song. One was sang by Deng Lun and the other is a duet version of Deng Lun and Yang Zi. This is I think is Xu Feng's version of the song with Love frost as Jin Mi's version.
- Love frost (??)
This song was sang by Yang Zi and some of the lyrics was similar to heaven and earth without frost. It's kind of the Jin Mi's version of the song.
I was a bit surprised to find out that for 63 episodes, this drama doesn't have a lot of song, but I didn't get bored hearing the song over and over again. I think the repetitive songs help to build the mood in the story because you will be reminded of the previous scenes when the particular song was played.
Rewatch value:
I actually have rewatched a few scenes before writing this review... so....
Overall:
I personally love this drama and don't mind watching it over and over again. I might also download it so I can watch it offline. That's how much I love it.
Despite having long episodes, this drama has a simple plot idea. You don't need to think too much while watching this, just sit back and enjoy the show as the story unfold.
For recommendation, I think if you don't mind long episodes and the classic plot of two-man-fighting-over-one-girl, then you will like the show.
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Second male lead stole the show. The rest is too much filler and repetition.
There is much praise about this drama and it did not quite deliver for me. I loved the cinematography, visual effects, the acting was top notch but the actual story fell flat for me. It started off well and even though it had interesting premises I wasn't captivated by the plot. Too much filler and too many characters doing exactly the same thing again and again and again. Too many convenient plot devices and people doing things only to move forward the plot. Oh and by the end of the drama, almost all the characters had (without spoiling) the same type of trauma. It just felt like lazy writing.My main issue with the drama was that as much as heartbreaking the romance is for the main leads, I never connected with them. It was actually very instant love for me considering one of them couldn't even feel love. And romance is my main focus when watching dramas. In fact I was so invested in the second male lead story that by episode 35 I was happy if they dropped the romance and it was only about his journey. He was actually what saved the show and made me finish it. In fact around episode 50 I found myself skipping lots of scenes because I just wanted to finish it.
Second male lead stole the show for me. His story was so well done. His character development is so well done. The main male lead is an excellent actor but unfortunately I found after the first half of the drama his personality was reduced to "being in love with the female lead" and "occasionally a cool warrior". It's like the whole purpose for him being in the drama was to be the love puppy of the female lead. There is so much more it could have been done in terms of writing.
Overall I feel it's a good drama but not for me. Too much focus was put on the love triangle which wasn't even a love triangle. I didn't like the ending of the second male lead and how they turned his character so probably that's why I wasn't happy with this drama. But I did enjoy lots of moments and definitely cried a lot. The drama moved me emotionally, especially the second male lead story which was worth watching.
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(First time writing a review.)Timeline of the series probably went like this (for me):
AHAHAHA this is hilarious --> awww so sweet --> oh nononooo --> oh my my, my heart can't take this !!! --> finally!!! --> wait whatttt --> ok, F I N A L L Y.
I decided to watch this drama series because the two main leads (Yang Zi and Deng Lun), acted in another drama, Flowers in Fog, as a couple together before too, and I loved seeing them together. This drama never failed to impress me. So this means the chemistry between the main leads is G R E A TTT!!
Basically this is how the drama went...
Initially the drama was really funny, especially in terms of how Jin Mi acted and thought. Although as time passes, Jin Mi becomes much more mature, so the way she acts, talks and thinks changes accordingly, the comedic scenes drops slightly, but it's ok! Because...
MY FAVOURITE ELEMENT COMES IN!! It starts focusing on the romantic part of the series. This is when both of them starts having mutual feelings for each other. Heart wrenching and sweet af moments. How they're willing to sacrifice for each other, wow.
Some misunderstandings surfaced during the series, so the heartbreaking scenes were both understandable and relatable.
But all's well as they managed to clear the misunderstandings and eventually reconciled.
HOWEVER, of course you wouldn't have a happy ending that easily, your heart has to go through another heart wrenching journey :").
THEN, a happy ever after. F I N A L L Y.
DISCLAIMER:
Although, this drama is great overall, but I personally feel that there were some parts that were a tad bit boring.
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The actors were OK too. Not my fave cast but they did do a good job of portraying their characters.
The cinemetography and graphics were good and definitely saw an improvement in this area.
Overall, it was below my expectations and I probably wont watch again.
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Before you read my review: THIS SHOW HAS A GOOD ENDING. YES. A GOOD ENDING.If you don't already know Yang Zi - You should. She is a brilliant actor, and so is Deng lun. Together both made me cry like craaazy. As I am typing the show has just finished streaming. There is a reason why the ratings are so high, because it is THAT GOOD. The acting, marvelous. Yang Zi and Deng Lun acting, by their action and even their emotions in their eyes (YES. THEIR EYES.) will shock you, because it is so so so good. It will make you feel like a break up after you finish watching it, because as they act, you feel as if you are part of the damn story itself!
The music, is wonderful. In chinese Weibo there are memes about the music because everytime the music comes out, something sad will happen. But good god, holy crap. The music IS GOOD. It's good and fits the entire story.
The story itself is wonderful as well. If you like a good story with the girl being oblivious to her feeling. You have it here. You like a story with sad love, you. have it here. You like a story with a character you want to physically kill, you have it here. You like a story with a GOOD ENDING, YOU HAVE IT HERE. YES. IT IS A GOOD ENDING. It is a ending so good, you would cry, like a baby while watching the camera zooms out for the very last time. You go through 60+ episodes of cute moments, escalating into sad moments and into moments where you could cry until your eyes swell up, to a happy ending, that will ALSO make you cry and feel unbearable to leave the show.
But it is a good ending.
(yet it's incomplete, partially. if you want more cute moments after the Tv ending, read the book.)
I want to also say this show has one of the best animation seq. out there. You feel as if the power and stuff is actually REAL. Also, the main character Deng Lun is REAAAAALLYYYYY hot oh my god haha, sorry here's my fangirling.
Overall, I recommend watching this show. But prepared to feel a rollercoaster of emotions, from hapy to sad to angry... But remember... it is a good ending.
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Ashes of Love has a really strong plot with a core theme - selfish, destructive 'love' vs a selfless, supportive love. The show explores this in a variety of ways through familial, friendship and romantic relationships.
The star of the show is Xufeng/Phoenix who undergoes numerous transformations, has immense character growth, and is very compelling to watch. His chemistry with the main female character, Jinmi is excellent. The amount of ups and downs these two characters go through and how they change as a result is really striking to watch.
The weakness of the show for me was the demon princess/demon politics storylines. I wanted to skip the associated romance and plot points. In addition, the peripheral/supporting characters are often a bit one note. As a result, I felt the series started to drag a bit in the second half.
The two main songs were uncommonly good for the genre. Really sweeping without being corny or overblown..In the last episode, they really added to the 'epic' feeling of everything the characters had gone through.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes -10
(There is really strong themes about selfish vs. selfless love, setting ego aside, and others that were extremely well done.)
Character Growth -9
(The two main characters change, grow, and transform believably over the course of the series. Unfortunately, the rest of the characters are not given much space to do much more than act as plot devices)
Nuanced Women -7
(There are a fair amount of female characters, but only the main female lead seemed to have the room to play a full character).
Cinematography/Production Values - 7
(I personally found the CGI a bit hard to take seriously - it seemed to be most (if not all??) filming was with a green screen with not much attempt to blend in real elements with fantasy elements. Costumes were competent, but it was clear most of the budget went to CGI - they wear the same things lots of episodes in a row, and the costumes lack detail adequate accessories in closeup shots)
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If you want a drama where it can get emotional, this is the one. I was hesitant to watch this series because i only found this drama through Sa Dingdings song Upwards to the Moon, i did not regret finding this drama. The OSTs are the best, it fits this drama well. Not many OSTs are good (C-drama or K-drama) but the OSTs from this are very good.
I watched this drama thinking it was going to be comedic and more action due to the first episode, but didn't know it was so damn emotional. It actually made me, a man, cry hard and actually get emotional.
Unparalled in the world - Deng Lun and Yang Zi
Love frost - Yang Zi
Upwards to the moon - Sa Dingding
Unsullied - Sa Dingding
These are the best versions and best OSTs i have ever heard in any drama.
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First of all, I am a huge fan of the book. I became so obsessed with the book, that I have read it 3 times in less that 2 months. When I found out that the book will be turned into a drama, I couldn't have been more happy. I was literally stalking this site, wikipedia, weibo etc so I can get more information about the drama, trailers, music etc. The OST of the drama has been on repeat way before the drama aired.
Long story short, let's discuss about the drama.
1) Plot: what I liked about the drama in comparison to the book, is that some aspects was presented better. We get to know the stories behind our characters, we get to understand the reason for their action and the consequences for their actions. At first I liked that they kinda respected the flow of the actions like in the book, then I got a bit disappointed that they chose to add things that weren't in the book. Sometimes I felt that the flow of the action became a bit boring, so I skipped some scenes ( ex. side character's scenes). Other times I felt that they exaggerated a bit the stories behind some of the characters. I suppose they did this to enhance the melodramatic feeling of the drama. Maybe I wanted them to follow a bit more close the book, that's why i rated the story 9.5.
What I didn't like also, was the fact that they created a weaker Phoenix in the drama. I missed the Phoenix from the book. In comparison to him, Night's character has a better development, but he also became more cruel and heart-less. Jin Mi on the other hand was smarter and kinder, and much more adorable.
Overall the story is amazing, it really captures your heart, but still, it didn't impress me as much as in the book. In the book I felt all that angst, the pain, all the power of their love. Here in the drama, their love was god-like indeed, but I didn't get the same feeling of authenticity as in the book.
2) Acting: Overall, the acting was good, though like other people said, Deng Lun was not so immersed in his character. He didn't succeed to convince me all the time of the authenticity of his feelings. But he looked exactly like the Phoenix in the book :)) Yang Zi is really really talented. She indeed was the perfect choice for Jin Mi. I consider also that the actor that played Run Yu did a better job than Deng Lun. Regardin The other actors, I especially liked the actors that played Moon God and Master Puchi. These 2 bring liveliness to the show.
3) OST: AMAZING!!!!!!! The best OST in a chinese drama ever! Especially the beginning and the ending songs. When I first heard the beginning song, one month before the drama started to air, I fell in love instantly. Ever since it has been on my repeat list.
4) GCI: 10/10. In comparison to other chinese dramas, they invested a lot in CGI. The scene of the battle is the most amazing scene of the whole drama in my opinion, is EPIC! HSALF it's the first drama where I saw such an attention to CGI.
5) Rewatching value: 9.5/10 (mainly because of the draggy moments regarding development of the side characters. I skipped all the scenes between Biacheng Princess and Mu ci and it didn't affect the flow of the action).
6) Overall: with all the flaws, it's still an amazing drama. I literally finished the drama in 3 days and I slept 2-3 hours per night. I cried, I laughed with the characters, I suffered with them, it was like I was living another life together with them. Is this my favorite chinese drama? Unfortunately no, but it's close (Journey of Flower remains still my favorite drama, because the acting and the story were better). So do yourself a favor and watch the drama. You will not be dissappointed.
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First of all, I didn't get hooked onto it the first time. As someone who has watched the amount of dramas that I have, it's inevitable that I'm going to be particularly picky about what I devote my time to. Shamefacedly, I mistakenly came up with preconceptions of the drama based on the CGI in the first episode, thinking it was too fluffy and overly cutesy, and even cringeworthy. I thought it foreshadowed some equally as shallow a plot down the line, and never imagined it would present us with such a beautiful story. Good things take time to come, and you best believe that for this drama. Thank the lord I came back a second time and pushed through to step straight into the beautiful maelstrom that was to come.
From beginning to end, most of the actors portrayed their characters pretty well. Of course, extra credit will definitely have to go to our two main sweethearts, Jin Mi and Phoenix, as well as the broken antagonist, Run Yu. Never have I ever felt so much sorrow and empathy for an antagonist; when you can't help both wanting him dead for all that he's done, yet understanding fully well that for what he's been through, his actions are far from cruel and wholly justified, that's when you know this drama succeeded at producing a heart-wrenching antagonist. Don't even get me started on the two protagonists - their love has got to be the single most phenomenal thing this drama brought to life, and it is bound to make your own heart encounter every feeling that ever existed. It is quite literally set aflame by Phoenix's fire the entire time.
As you'd expect, the two protagonists experience huge mountains of obstacles that stand before them, as testaments to their love for one another. No, unlike many other dramas, there isn't just one single, blindingly obvious reason as to why they shouldn't be together. In actual fact, rather than any reasons per se, it's more like the two lovers EXPERIENCE too many misunderstandings and unfortunate events, which ultimately make it harder for the two to trust each other.
As for the storyline, it was masterfully crafted and pieced together in a very reasonable sequence of arcs; the flow of this story was exceptional on the grand scale of all dramas, which made it pretty easy to binge in 3 days. Most c dramas throw at you a hectic number of episodes, and 99% become tedious and burdened with too many desperate plot add-ons, which results in the drama itself losing sight of its initial goal ending with a rushed conclusion. Typically people (including myself) will start to give up around halfway through, unable to spend any more effort in learning how yet ANOTHER unnecessary plot twist will wreck everyone some more. But in AOL, the focus never leaves the main plot, while at the same time also allowing us to enjoy several side characters' stories that become flawlessly intertwined with the bigger story. Due to a certain plot hole you wouldn't understand now, our protagonist Jin Mi has a frustratingly overly happy-go-lucky nature, without much care for anything in the world. This results in the first chunk of the drama being predominantly comical and heartwarming. It is when she's able to slowly come out of that phase that the angst becomes all too real. The time she spends in the mortal realm with Phoenix is my favourite arc in the entire drama; as normal human beings who meet by the red string of fate, we are blessed with a Jin Mi who's truer to her heart, and a sauve Phoenix for king. Although the fight scenes are somewhat diminished by the underwhelming CGI, they're definitely convincing enough to get you by, and most importantly, lives are actually lost from them. I'd take that over countless fight scenes that focus on pretty cameos and melodramatic blood-spitting any day.
Another big concern in many Chinese dramas is the ending, as all too many times we've been left with tragedy and devastation; however, without revealing any spoilers, I can say that if you make it through all 63 episodes, the ending will be the most gratifying reward one could ever hope for. It is 100% worth all your tears that were shed leading up to that moment.
All in all, everyone must give Ashes of love a watch. On the rewatch scale, I know that this is one I will choose rewatch over and over again without a doubt. If you're prepared to go on a journey that's really a whirlwind of feels, angst, heartbreak, euphoria, and every other emotion - one that will take your breath away at every moment and never let you stop to take a break for air - then go right ahead. You certainly won't be left with any regrets.
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