Três Vidas, Três Mundos, O livro de Travesseiros (2020)

Not perfect but binge-worthy show.

First meeting these characters in TMPB, I actually liked them a lot more than the two leads there. But knowing this was a totally separate story, gave it a go once it was fully uploaded and translated here. What can I say, I like to binge watch. Though, absolutely beautiful costumes, CGI, and script. It got a 9 from me because it got off to (in my opinion) a slow start. I love the chemistry between the leads and the humor of practically every character. The main antagonist could have laid off on the “evil laughing” all the time as it was not convincing in the slightest. Wish there was a more rounded ending of our two leads as that seemed a bit rushed. But overall, I’m satisfied with this series and would recommend it to friends.

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This is nothing like Eternal Love (Ten Miles of Peach Blossom). I watch this out of curiosity because I like Eternal Love and my friends have been raving about this drama, so I thought I'd give it a try. But I was not impressed. This drama is super duper slow and draggy. I actually didn't like Dilraba's and Vengo's character in Eternal Love (nor do I like them as actor & actress). That's my ultimate fault for watching this drama and wasting my precious time. This drama's main point is the love story between Feng Jiu and Dong Hua and not much else. It alternates between worlds and I got confused and just gave up trying to catch up to the story. But I'm not one who left a drama unfinished, so I watched it with either 1.5x or 2.0x speed, just to make it end quicker. Forgive me, but I seriously cannot stand Dilraba's character. She is a spoilt brat and annoying with her ultimate crush to Dong Hua. Some people may find her cute, but I do find her character and her voice super annoying. It gets really boring after a while watching her infatuation with the Dijun. The only good thing about this drama is the supporting characters. I love watching A Li, Si Ming, Lian Song and Cheng Yu. I thought they're the highlight of this drama. Another good thing is the great color of the scenes. I love it! If not for this, I would have given this drama a lower rating. It even failed for me as a romance drama.

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There’s so many things I want to talk about - it is too overwhelming! As a fan of the novel myself, I would say this show was definitely not a disappointment! But it was not something I was extremely satisfied with either. I’d like to first focus on the acting - Dilireba and Gao Weiguang nailed it. They reprised their roles so well; I can proclaim with conviction that no one other than the two of them are suited to play the roles of Bai Fengjiu and Donghua Dijun respectively. It was like they were born to do this. The chemistry between the two of them was flawless, interactions were extremely engaging - suddenly I don’t know whether it’s Donghua’s character in particular that made it so fun, or Fengjiu’s reactions to him, or was it their acting... but all in all, it’s something that brings colour to the screen and warmth to your hearts.

Other than the leads, I think generally everyone else was okay, not exactly super fantastic, but definitely watchable. However there were one or two minor characters who really bothered me with their acting - I shall not name, but it was very painful to watch them on screen, hence I brought the acting down to a 9.0.

For the story line, I actually really love it. Like all Chinese fantasy dramas, it is dramatic, and I’m a sucker for that. It generally followed the flow of the novel, so I’m pretty satisfied with that. Some minor details changed here and there, but don’t let it bother you. The story is actually rather intense, but there were many light-hearted moments too, so it balances out pretty well. Don’t worry! It’s not really a show that will drive you to the wall (like palace dramas haha), so just relax and enjoy everything.

The music was good. I personally enjoyed it. But you know, having heard TMOPB’s iconic ending song for so many times, I couldn’t help but expect an OST that would shake the charts. There wasn’t any that was up to that level unfortunately, but that’s alright! The music is still enjoyable nonetheless, shoutout to Zhang Bichen!

Now I’ll briefly talk about the production of the show. Like many others, I’ve watched TMPOB and I had high expectations for ELOD, since it was a so-called sequel to that. But I was disappointed with the production of the show. When I look back, everything felt rushed. It wasn’t the story that was rushed (ok other than the last few episodes which literally flew by so quick... they could’ve taken it slower!!!), it was the production value. Filming was quite sloppy - very often the camera was shaky. CGI was also awkward, but then again that’s Chinese fantasy dramas for you - we can’t expect Hollywood CGI or something. I guess this is actually a pretty minor point, but just wanted to point it out.

Overall, this show was definitely fun and didn’t disappoint me at all. Other than the production value, I think everything was amazing. Now would in watch this again? Definitely, but not all parts. I still go back occasionally to rewatch some cute scenes between the leads. It’s really enjoyable, I cannot help but want to watch it over and over again. I might be a little biased because I absolutely adore the DongFeng couple, but I really really hope I can convince you to give this show a shot.

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A Fantastic Adaptation

I fell in love with this novel after seeing Etenal Love and then reading the Hamster translation of Eternal Love. In my opinion, this novel is better because it is more rich and developed. That said, this is a different story from eternal love with some similar themes. But the biggest difference is what keeps these two people apart. In eternal love it was outside forces. In this show, it is literally fate influencing everything around them. The directors did a good job emphasizing the coincidences that conspire to keep these people apart. And the consequences of fighting it....

Now the show...

I was always curious about how they would adapt this given the simple fact that the author 1)tells her stories via flashbacks and 2) a chunk of time is spent as a fox. But the advancements in visual effects and creativity led to a good decision: a lot of FJ’s fox form was her visually but like a spirit form. It is what they did in Eternal Love when Ye Hua was the flower on Kunlan.

I did not expect them to spend so much time in the mortal world because a lot of it well most of it did not happen in the book. However it helps provide depth and character development because so much of the novel is based in character development they had to engineer a lot of conflict (like the prime antagonists) to keep an audience engaged because a lot of the novel is FJ struggling in her own mind how to deal with her feelings.. Good job directors.

For those of you who haven’t read the book and are reading my review, I recommend it, the drama is Very Very good. Anyone who has ever felt or struggled in one sided love will find that this drama resonates very well with the barriers and uncertainties you might face in pursuing that love, doubting your decisions, and facing the interference of your loved ones who don’t understand why you just can’t stop. If you’ve ever liked someone and asked yourself ‘why can’t I stop it would be so much easier if I did’ then you will feel a strong connection I suspect with this story. I also liked how the script incorporates very well different types of love, obsessive love, and even addresses how unhealthy it can be, but in the end, it’s your choice, whether the outcome is good or bad. Because this is a fairy tail it has a happy ending.

Acting was great. The Chemistry between these two actors is so good everyone wanted them to star in it. I hope they do more dramas together. I think liking this show boils down to what you like. It executes story and plot well, but if you don’t like one sided love don’t watch. If you don’t like the ditzy kind of female lead don’t watch. If you are eaten up inside with anger watching a female lead suffer for love because it disagrees with your values don’t watch! You don’t have to like it but be fair. They did a good job. Not an easy book to adapt.

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Great Overall But…

Generally, I don’t have much to complain about Eternal Love Of Dream. It is a highly watchable production. The CGI is better than many xianxia dramas and the interaction between Dong Hua and the fox feels real. All the characters look good in their beautiful costumes and it is obvious that this is a big budget project. The most important factor is, of course, the chemistry between Vengo Gao and Dilraba Dilmurat. I dare say that without that chemistry, The Pillow Book might indeed make us all fall asleep as we follow their story.

Acting
After watching Vengo Gao as Dong Hua in Eternal Love Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms and again in Eternal Love Of Dream, I think viewers would not be able to picture any other actor in this role. He completely nailed it to give the character the required aloofness and an aura of seniority and reverence. Dong Hua is not an excitable immortal but calm and rational. He doesn’t make a lot of movements when he talks but Vengo Gao’s expressive eyes and micro facial expressions make Dong Hua a pleasure to watch. He looks so different here compared to his role in Legend Of Fuyao.

On the other hand, Feng Jiu is a complete opposite. She is young and innocent. She dares to love and is full of life. Dilraba Dilmurat’s portrayal is spot on to give the character a level of innocence and that suits her age and lovestruck demeanor. Hence, when the 2 opposite characters interact, the chemistry is palpable due to their great portrayal of their roles.

Plot
Unlike Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms and Love And Destiny, The Pillow Book’s story is more abstract. For some dramas, you will know what is going on even if you don’t understand Mandarin. But for Eternal Love Of Dream, you will need to listen or read the subtitles carefully to follow the story. It can get confusing especially during the Aranya’s Dream part.

Overall, the plot outline is nothing new. It is not as unique as another popular xianxia drama, The Untamed. Basically, it is about the hero using all his cultivation powers to defeat a Demon Ruler while falling in love with the heroine and trying to protect her in his own way.

Perhaps the first part is refreshing when they start off their relationship as master and pet fox. But once we get through that, the romance is kind of predictable with unrequited love in the beginning. What saves it is, as mentioned, the chemistry and unique dynamics of the couple. Many dramas are saved from being mediocre or even unwatchable this way such as Under The Power and Love Of Thousand Years.

My Verdict
Eternal Love Of Dream is a great drama and you should watch it. But certain parts can be a bore. I think one of the problems is the beginning of the romance and the couple’s time in the mortal realm mirror the story in Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. The difference is they have lengthen their interactions and change a bit of the story here and there in Eternal Love Of Dream. But the gist of it remains the same. So, if you have watched Ye Hua and Bai Qian’s story, you will know what Feng Jiu will eventually do to Dong Hua in the mortal realm. That is why some people would suggest we start watching from Episode 21 which is the tail end of their time in the mortal world.

Personally, I also find the story in Eternal Love Of Dream to be less compelling compared to Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. It doesn’t move me as much emotionally. In Ye Hua and Bai Qian’s story, there is much more angst and pain. Hence, you would feel more for the couple. The story is also more straightforward and flows better. In Dong Hua and Feng Jiu’s story, there is a vague feeling of being sidetracked at times especially during their time in the dream world.

Having said that, I would still recommend a watch for this Eternal Love Of Dream review. In fact, some people would prefer this to Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. The bottom line is the relationship dynamics of both couples are different. If you like a more serious tone to your romance, then Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms should be the preferred choice. But if you like a sweeter and cuter couple, then Eternal Love Of Dream would beat the earlier drama hands down.

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Good, but incredibly slow.

It's been like three years since I've watched Eternal Love 1. It was my first, or second cdrama too. Having seen Dream now I'm thinking that perhaps I've been looking at the original drama with rose tinted glasses. The reason being that Dream is incredibly SLOW and thinking back perhaps EL1 is just as bad in this regard.
The original novel is titled "Three Lives Three Worlds, The Pillow Book". I have not read it, but I'm guessing that all the reincarnated, or semi reincarnated lives witnessed in this drama originate from the novel and oh boy the author did not fail to exhaust this plot device. This is the single worst thing about the drama. Spending 10 episodes in the mortal realm & 10 in another realm living different, or semi different lives is not my definition of a fun story. Had this been a normal 24 episode drama I would have been okay with that, but it's 56 episodes. That's not even all, the show has many makjang-ish moments, it's way beyond what I would consider a frustration free viewing experience.


On a more positive note, there are a lot of amazing things in this drama as well.
In my opinion this is how a cultivation novel should be brought to screen. Sure the CG is pretty low fidelity, however all the daoist powers, formations, creatures and realms were portrayed pretty closely to how I imagined they would be after reading about them for many years. Even an ascension pool is featured!

Of course ultimately this is a romance drama & the OTP had great chemistry and - whenever the characters were aware of each other's identities- their romance was really entertaining to watch, with lots of comedy included.

The supporting cast is absolutely amazing.

The love triangles may be weak, but the secondary love interests caused a decent amount of angst and many misunderstandings. So the overall score is not that great, triangle-wise.

The audiovisuals were excellent, bad CG notwithstanding.

Overall I would say that I greatly enjoyed about half the drama, most of the other half was on the boring side of frustrating, however considering how memorable this drama is for me I think rating it at 8/10 is more than fair.

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This drama is fairly truthful to the novel. But I like how they started with the Mortal arc first to give viewers a bit more context. It was a bit slow at the start but it becomes really great once the leads start to interact. I particularly loved the Heaven arc, as there are so many Hilarious scenes. Vengo is absolutely perfect for Dijun - so majestic and graceful, no wonder all the other fairies hit on him. Bai Feng Jiu really develops into a mature Goddess after coming back from the Mortal realm which actually attracts the attention of Dijun. She tries so hard to avoid him, but fate has brought them together. This story has so many ups and downs, will bound to get you hooked.

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I knew I was going to love this drama because after TMOPB, I literally binged watched all of Dilireba's costume dramas! So I was immediately excited when they announced they were doing a sequel with our favorite leads. Just to preface, I have never read the novels for this story. But overall, I enjoyed this drama. I enjoyed the song that Dilireba sang too!

There are three arcs for our leads. BFJ as a fox lingering in Early Dawn palace following around DH. BFJ and DH goes to the mortal realm (I thought that part was SOOO long), and lastly BFJ and DH end up in a A'lanrou's dream. Each one tests their relationships and you watch as their relationship blossoms. In TMOPB you only see parts of the first two arcs, but this one dives more into details and shows more (of course). I did think that the last two episodes were VERY rushed, as it was their wedding date and of course DH had to go save the world. FJ misunderstands and leaves and goes lives in the mortal realm with their kid for three years. She comes back to Nine Heavens because Ye Qingti is about to be revived and magically they make up. Although, I was feeling MEH ending, I did love the acting and chemistry between Dilireba and Vengo. I'm sure because they were part of Jaywalk studios they have acted with each other before, their chemistry was sizzling. I was so excited with DJ finally falls for FJ, and he just loves on her. Apparently, there's rumors that they're even dating.

A lot of people have mentioned that Angel Liu (Ji Heng) bought the rights to this drama, and wanted to be FJ but faced backlash so they kind of re-wrote the drama for her as Ji Heng and gave her more screen time (we didn't ask for that). Her character was annoying, but she wasn't the psycho lover like Su Jin. It seemed like they wanted to make her villainous, but kind of watered it down or got bored w/ it. This drama actually lacks a Su Jin if it makes you feel better. No one really plotted heavily against our FJ, or took her eyes.

They did mix up our cast a little. We got one Yang Mi cameo (it was meh!). Zhe Yan and our 4th Uncle have transformed into beautiful young male leads - although it was different, I liked it! I liked that they brought back some of the original characters such as 3rd Prince Song Lian, Si Ming and the Bai Family. I wish they showed more of the other realms, as in TMOBP they showed other realms like the Eastern Sea family and more gods and goddesses. Another thing was was funny was Wayne Liu's character, as he did have a role in TMOPB. He was re-casted as a demon lord, Yan Chiwu. Yan Chiwu was probably one of my favorite side characters, and makes references to his "twin" brother who was Mo Yuan's 16th disciple. It would have been funny if he bumped into his twin XD --- But did anyone remember that in TMOPB the demon princess's name was also YAN Zhi, so they share the same surname. Anyways.....

Overall, this drama was good. It wasn't as good in terms of drama and seeing the love build up as TMOPB. The trials that DJ and FJ went through didn't really hit me as hard as TMOPB. I just thought that BQ and YH went through way more compared to DJ and FJ. And maybe it falls on FJ's personality, she was always naive and kiddy-like. I felt even when she had her kid, she didn't truly mature. And maybe if they didn't white-wash the roles, it would have been more "drama." I mean, they could have done more with Zhi He's character (did they forget she was evil b*tch in Ashes of Love)? But, I understand they did re-write this script to give more screen time to Angel Liu. Maybe there's an original script out there, that could have done 100% better and give us angsty/heartbreak drama that we all wanted.

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I'm happy that the Writers and Directors created this sequel from the Eternal Love Chinese Drama. I wished they would've started from the last performance of this couple, Bai Feng Jiu and Dong Hua Di Jun from the first Season of Eternal Love. Oh well, talk about performance... The best performance is from Zhang Ming Can who is playing the character of Bai Qian and Ye Hua's son. It amazes me that these young actors are really good. She did a beautiful job playing a male part. I love her finésse and personality! To remember the words she had to read and memorize for this character at her young age of 7 is beyond amazing. I miss the first actor, Hummer Zhang, who played Ah-Li he was a bright child as well, wondering why the producer didn't recast him in this part? I noticed a few actors from the disciples were back but playing different parts. I loved seeing the brothers of Bai Qian that were not in Eternal Love.

I probably will have to rewatch because the story was boring for me in the first few episodes but it picked up when Dong Hua went to the mortal world which makes up for the first few episodes. The visual fantasy was amazing. It seemed real to me. More action in this one than the first season. The ending was terrific! I could write more about this but I won't. This is a great watch.

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Thoroughly enjoyed this...

This drama is not a continuation to Ten Mile Peach Blossom although many of the key characters in the former series are either mentioned or re-featured. You can watch this series on its own without watching the former. It is more of a romantic comedy and more light-hearted compared to the Ten Mile Peach Blossom. There are more romantic and comical scenes while Ten Mile has more intense battle and gut-wrenching scenes. The witty verbal exchanges are hilarious. And the scenes when DiJun is teasing and flirting with FengJiu are amusing. However, you probably need to have a good command of Mandarin to appreciate it - from the English subtitles, I suspect much is lost.

It has its own moment of suspense, making you wonder what is going to happen next and it did keep me glued to YouTube and myasiantv.io especially towards the second half. If you are a romantic, you will enjoy this. Dil and Gao had 'come out of age' to convincingly play the lead roles in this drama with only a short awkward appearance by Yang Mi and none by Mark Chao.

The initial 10 scenes are a little slow but comical, and almost look like a repeat of Ten Mile Peach Blossom with FengJiu's attempt to make it to DiJun's palace to serve him and the rivalry between FengJiu and ZhiHe was boring. It would be better if the duration of an episode or two were trimmed from the initial 10 episodes - they feel like time fillers. However, the story deviates. Once you get past these, you will start to enjoy it.

Like most dramas, it has its weaknesses in the story - a lot of the plot was based on FengJiu's distrust of DiJun - almost to the extend she looked like a self-pitying fool. For a plucky and mischievous girl, she suddenly became a fool when it came to matters of the heart. A lot of the gut-wrenching scenes become unconvincing and comical as they are more of self-pitying based on some imagination she was unloved and that DiJun loved someone else.

Dil is ravishingly beautiful as FengJiu and Gao is dashingly handsome as DiJun with the white hair and purple/white robes. Good looking leads are often key success factors for a drama or movie.

We all like a happy ending - I certainly do - I watch drama to enjoy it not sadden by it and I avoid tragedies. I always check that before I start any drama these days after suffering a few sad days with some other tragedies.

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