I decided to watch this drama because I like the female lead's acting overall. I was skeptical when I saw Vic Chou as the lead because I thought that they had a big age gap and I had never seen him act so I didn't know if he could compete with Veng, who is extremely popular with viewers. Not only was he able to do this, but I think the character was written for him. I have not read the novel but was told that the novel has a different ending from the drama.
This drama is a story about revenge and justice. It is a romance, but the romance is not central and constant, like in Eternal Love, nor is it one sided like in Journey of Flower (I use those two as a baseline in my reviews a lot). But it's there. For many of the episodes romance plays second to whatever conflict our characters are seeking to understand and solve. Because for most of our characters, relationships have to be put on hold because they have a 'greater good' to do.
I don't want you to think that there is no romance in the show, there is, I just think that the way it is shown is not very direct--there is not a lot of intimacy between the characters, although the writers are very clear that he loves her and he shows through his actions.
Moving into the actual story:
I think the show has three strengths: it's dialogue, character development, and overall writing (though there are moments that leave much to be desired, like most dramas, it isn't perfect). Now why do I think this?
First, the overall plot is consistent, with only a few plot holes. The show builds up a conflict, it is seemingly resolved, only for another issue to immediately replace it and these in between episodes can seem a little slow but the pay off is good as you see everything come to fruition and the scenes unfold. Every character, including the antagonists, have traits that work to their advantage and disadvantage, and many antagonists are believable foils to the leads in a way that compliments the script. In CONTRAST, a drama which I think really failed to do this was The King's Woman, for comparison, but I think many people would disagree with me. I think that the number of names can be confusing as some people have multiple aliases, and I think that you need some patience for the show to reveal itself to you because we learn at the same pace as the viewer. Sometimes the writers do the thing where they make you think one thing, then via flashback we learn that it was all a set up and planned to be different--some people might not like this.
Dialogue is good, not mind blowing or anything, but good. I think the character with the best dialogue is the male lead, whose flirtatious sense of humor and teasing personality is really refreshing. He isn't obnoxious or annoying, he is just the right amount of coy. The dialogue stutters a bit when it almost is trapped by character consistency--the antagonist is VERY crazy, and always seems to say the same thing, in the same way, as does Ji, who is almost a cardboard cut out of honor. Characters with less screen time are made interesting when they do appear on screen unless their role is less as an important person but more representative of an idea; Xiao Feng had super boring dialogue but his entire character was sort of like a stand in for every innocent person who experienced injustice.
Character development is done well. Almost every character is different at the end of the series, they all learn something, and they all bring something to the show to balance it. The female lead cares for her friends, but it makes her reckless and impulsive. There are consequences to this. This is the kind of character development I mean.
I think, other than the reduced intimacy and focus on good v. evil, viewers may have problems with how the relationship between the two leads is framed. He is 100 percent devoted from day one, and it takes the entire series before this is fully explained, and she eventually falls in love with him but it takes time because at the start of the show she is trying to save her relationship with another man--played by an actor that many, many viewers are a fan of. Some people do not have patience for a female lead who doesn't immediately fall for a male lead who loves her. She isn't ungrateful towards him, but she has a reason for her actions, just like him. That's all I can say.
I am not going to divulge much of the plot because I don't want to spoil anything. I will reveal character names and bios without spoiling anything.
Main Characters
Ru Ge: The Daughter of the flame lord. Is caring, believes in justice, friendly, smart. Can also be reckless and impulsive and overly trusting. Grows a lot.
Yin Xue: Owner of the brothel Blossom House. Is very coy, flirtatious, and in love with Ru Ge, which baffles her because they have never met. Will do anything to keep her safe, possesses a lot of skills and is also known as the number one beauty.
Zhan Feng: Ru Ge's cousin and former fiancee. He is serious, a perfectionist, and grew up with her. Appears to be a bit prickly and is very ambitious. Although not official, it is widely believed he will be the next flame lord.
Anye Jue/Second Madame/Third Madame: The Second Madame of Thunderclap Set and Third Madame of Dark River Palace. Is very loyal to Anye Luo and is very capable.
Anye Luo: The primary antagonist. Believed to be dead, but has emerged from seclusion. His motives are not clear, but it appears to involve controlling the various pugilist sects from behind the scenes.
Anye Ming: Second Mistress of Dark River Palace, dead, and Zhan Feng's mother.
Zhan Tian: God brother to Flame Lord Li, father to Zhan Fang, dead, former leader of Flame Villa.
Master Lei: Heir to the Thunderclap Sect, a wanderer who speaks his mind, is sarcastic and something of a trouble maker; direct and impatient. Is looking for his half sister, Anye Jue's daughter who was placed at Flame Villa.
Wu Dao Xiang: She is the third mistress of Top Blade City, very headstrong and skilled in martial arts. She has been spoiled and raised by her two older brothers and has a crush on Yin Xue (not in annoying way)
Wu Xia: The leader of Top Blade City is confident, clever, and slightly flamboyant. Always has a fan and likes the ladies; he enjoys collecting beautiful women. Loves his family. Seeks revenge for his father's death by depression after he lost the title of head of the pugilist alliance.
Wu Hen: Second master of top blade city, is Wu Xia's right hand man and is more serious and stern. Cares about his family.
Ji: A disciple of Flame Lord, has hero worship of Zhan Feng, and is in love with Xun Yi. Is very loyal and just. Sometimes may seem simple minded.
Xun Yi: Ru Ge's personal maid and best friend.
Die Yi: Ru Ge's personal maid and close friend. She is in love with Zhongli.
Zhongli: Leader of the Azure Hall, Flame Villa's spy network, and is very serious and socially awkward. In love with Die Yi.
Yi Ling: Housekeeper of Flame Villa, personally serves Flame Lord and is his god son.
Xiao Feng: A young boy who is the heir and grandson of Thunderbreak Manor's leader.
Yin Ling: A beautiful courtesan who Zhan Feng is currently in a romantic relationship with; he abandoned Ru Ge for her.
Phoenix: A beautiful and extremely practical courtesan.
Yu/Senior/7th prince: Ru Ge is very close with him. He is in a wheel chair, cannot walk or hear but can read lips. He is also extremely smart, clever, and in charge of the imperial army. Is in love with Ru Ge but does not tell her.
3rd prince: Jealous of 3rd prince, wants the throne, and plots endlessly. Has a lot of authority in politics.
----These are the primary characters---
The main sects are:
Top Blade City
Flame Villa
Dark River Palace
Thunderclap
The Imperial Court/Crown
This is a story of good v evil. Of outing pretenders a.k.a. people who seem kind but are not, administering justice, and chasing after love.
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Upon finding out it’s based on a book, I went and read more about the book, and find out it was a tragedy, and Yin Xue has a rather sad ending, but the story is still so enticing, a man who knows will get nothing in return, whole heartedly sacrificing everything even his life for the one he loves. A story of unrequited love to the bitter end! For that, I would watch the show for Yin Xue, not for Vic not Zhang Bin Bin.
The Cons:
The first 5 episodes, there were draggy bits, like the dealing with the brothel girl in Pin Hua Lau. I still don’t get why we spent so much time on her for dialog like thank you, we will keep in touch, and don’t worry. The actress was pretty but I felt it added nothing to the storyline but to lengthen it and slow the pace. But as soon as it moves away from her, the story progresses at a nice even pace, not rushing and not slow. Enough for you to learn about the characters and the events surround these characters
There are a few holes/inconsistencies in the dialogs with the event that took place but it’s small enough that you can pass it with no problem. I only found 1 inconsistency (which is when RG said YX has changed her forgetful medicine, how can a bite to the ear change the medicine lol. Cure it? Sure. Change it? How lol)
The Pros:
The story: this is a story about a girl who at the start, her world revolves around her first love, and as the story progresses, her world revolves around the people she cares, her responsibility, her beliefs in what right and wrong, and how she can love and live on without her greatest love next to her. She doesn’t have strong power, her power is she is not deterred from her decisions. Once she has decided, she will go with it, sometimes she made mistakes but most of the time, she approached each decision and action with thoughtfulness, which show her maturity. Many found it odd to call her the flame’s daughter when she did not use much flame power. However they overlook the fact that out of all the characters, she was the only one that really put up a fight, her will power is burning even when it’s surpressed. And even in the last battle, she was determined to contribute when Yin Xue tried to not involve her. For this, I love the story, not the usual cliche that the main heroin must obtain the most powerful power in the world to take down the most evil villain in history :)
It is also the story of loves, many types of love presented in this drama, not just the undying, sacrifice for one another love between Yin Xue, Ru Ge, YU Zhi Han and Zhan Feng. But also the family bond, what would you do if your love one is evil? Can you easily hate or kill the person that evil in everyone’s eyes but treat you with nothing but love and care? And then there is the love story that one man endure because he just couldn’t stop loving that one person.
The story also has its main bigger plot line involve Jianghu, feel pretty much like Louis Cha’s setting, the story moves without the leads unlike other drama where you have this one main character that be a plot device, that drive the events between the leads.
The characters:
Because of the story, you get such refreshing character like Yin Xue. Unlike most, if not all cdrama out there, the main lead guy will be cold, and smart, and look like jerk to everyone. He would barely crack a smile but will charm the girl, most of the time, he treats her like dirt but hey she’s in love with him anyway because of the sweet things he does for her in secret. Yin Xue is whimsical, he’s funny, cheeky, loves to play joke on people, but not the cringe worthy kind. He’s wise but he’s kind, he sees other’s hate/dislike toward him as a fun matter. He understands the girl, let her makes mistake (after giving her advices not to), and sacrifice everything for his love one without asking for anything back. He protects not just her but the people she loves, and if being trapped in his memories to be with her, he will do just that.
Then the main lead girl, as explained in the story part. And then you have two second lead characters, Zhan Feng and YU Zhi Han, both shows their weakness and strength, and their redemption, but the drama has done so well to show these men love her, and not resulting in jealousy or scheming to get the girl. How to get a girl to love you? With a true decent heart. Be there for her, love her, do everything you can to help her, and if she loves you back, that’s great :) if not, you could only hope and do your best to help her get her desired happiness.
The relationships: I love the relationships between the main leads, the support cast couples, between the guys, between the child actor with everyone, between the girls. This is possibly the first drama where I love every single relationship represented within a drama. While many feel the strong chemistry between Ru Ge and Zhan Feng, and not so much between her and Yin Xue, I saw the first love and the love of their lifetime. Maybe I’m old, but based on my personal experience, that’s how it felt like. One could call the first love is the lightning, impressive but fast passing, while the love of a lifetime is like water, gentle but can not live without.
The acting:
I think everyone’s acting is great. Dilireba while in some scenes could improve, there are some she did very well, like her past life scene, you can see how much she loves Yin Xue. Zhang Bin Bin has gained positive in my eyes as I felt he was one note acting in TMOPB. But the most impressive acting is Vic, I saw a few dramas from him when he was first started, and as much as I love him, I’m not blind to how bad the acting is in those drama lol. Vic portrayed this role with so much layers, you can feel multiple emotions surge within him, and you feel for the character. I love Vic before, but after many years (over 10yrs of not watching him), this drama has made me love him even more.
The OST: I love every songs in this drama, the whole album, from the opening song to the instrumental tracks, is just beyond good. It gave the correct feel to scene, and the lyrics are appropriate to each character, their arc and their inner feeling.
The best part: the fighting scenes. Being a wuxia lover since I was young, started at 5, I grew up in love with Louis Cha’s series, and is quite sad as time goes on, the fight scenes got shorten, and cheapen by CGI. One kick and it’s done. The last drama that got me excited with the fight scenes was Legend of Qin, but it turns out to be far few and too short, and just doesn’t wet your appetite. This series, I didn’t expect much in term of fight scenes, but ep 10 fight scene blew me away. It has techniques, the atmosphere, the suspension, the styles, the right amount of CGI to make those move beautiful, and not detract it from realism. I love all of Yin Xue’s fight scenes as it uses the tai chi style, in water there is steel :) the sword dance and Bi’er fight are another highlight as they show more techniques, and swords have been my favourite weapon. Zhan Feng’s saber is a bit more brute force so I’m not in love with them, but it’s mainly because I’m into the delicate techniques and variety of techniques in sword than in saber. And the last fight scene, many felt it short, but I love how it demonstrate two people constantly use deadly blows and don’t protect themselves in order to use those attacks. And the CGI once again making that fight scene beautiful.
Ep 52: the ending of this drama is indeed unforgettable. My head was spinning because of happiness but because it throws at me so many things, I had to watch it twice to figure out what’s going on. But I’m glad I did and once I figure out, I appreciate it. To many, it’s long winded, and confusing, while not giving a deserving end to their beloved character as there is no mention of anyone else but the two mains. But to me, the story has given each character a deserving end, beautiful done, and in such a meaningful way, I have never seen a drama that does that to all its supporting couples. No couple was boring either, how crazy is this!
Conclusion: this is to date, my most favourite wuxia series in 10 years+, I put this drama next to classic as the condor hero and the return of the condor hero, because it brings that hero feeling, that epic love story, the intriguing wuxia backdrop, a refreshing story, a refreshing character, the hero and heroin you can root for and felt in love with. Might not be as deep and as good nor as complicated as Louis Cha’s novel, but it’s being up there in term of drama adaptation from a novel. I know this drama has mythical elements, so compare it to Louis Cha’s master piece is unfair, but it’s the closest to true wuxia we get as of now that shine in my book, (minus classic from Gu Long as well, they are called classic for good reasons :) )
Rewatch value: 3 weeks after the drama ended, and I still find myself rewatching the series. And while waiting for new episodes to come out, I would rewatch a lot of the scenes between Yin Xue and Ruge or the fight scenes. The spell this drama put on me is unfathomable.
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This review may contain spoilers
I really enjoyed this drama telling the tale of a woman and the three important men in her life. There are very mixed reactions to this drama so I will be upfront; this isn't a pure romance drama like the excellent 10 Mile Peach Orchard or the flawed but very romantic The General and I. So if you are in it for romance romance romance, this might not be for you. Also, Bin Bin isn't the lead.... Yes, let that sink in for a moment. Truthfully, 50% of the complaints are about this situation. I watched them together in The King's Woman and that is a romance centric drama and they have chemistry in spades. But it is what it is and truthfuly I ended up fast forwarding through almost every scene the leads weren't in in TKS.First the Cons:
1. Not so much about the drama but the synopsis. It's horrible wherever you see it. Someone on the page wrote a new better one if you want to take a look. This is unfortunate because the drama throws you right into the story and we are there figuring things out on our own. It took me three episodes to adjust; however, this isn't necessarily a negative to me. I actually kind of liked just figuring things out and checking out MDL if I needed some insight. I do miss Dramafever's episode pages because there is always someone who has read the book and this really has helped me with other dramas from Cheese in the Trap to 10 Mile Peach Orchard.
2. The drama sagged a bit in the middle. I do want to disagree with some who thought it was all filler. It wasn't. It was getting all the characters in place for the second half so because there is quite a cast of characters, this took a # of episodes. Basically stuff happened in these episodes, but the romance definitely wasn't front and center, and most viewers realistically are there for the romance.
3. I can't get into details because of spoiler territory and someone who read the book might have insight but it has to do with the birth secret (that's not a spoiler, we know going in), and someone looking like someone else. I'll leave it there.
Now to the Pros:
1. I just really liked the story. I liked that every character - Every Single One - is fully fleshed out. The characters aren't cookie cutter. Their motivations aren't as simple as good/evil. Rather there are shades of gray that seem more reality based in a non-reality type story. I liked this a lot. There is not some higher purpose to this drama; it's just a story about these peoples lives over a few years time. I like that the three men are more nuanced than we might believe; not a cookie cutter arrogant jerk in the bunch (not even Bin Bin).
2. Acting: No problems here. I've heard some had issues with Dilraba. I'm fine with her though I don't love love love her. There was no performance that hindered my enjoyment of this drama. I want to do a shout out to Vic Chou for taking on such a whimsical character the likes I've never seen before in an Asian drama. It took a bit to wrap my head around it but it ended up really working for me.
3. The best action scenes/choreography that I've seen in a Chinese drama...ever. Dilraba with the whip. Even if you choose not to watch. Check out some of her scenes (not the bloopers) on You Tube. All the actors had their chance to shine. Awesome.
4. Production Value: It is from the same team as 10 Mile Peach Orchard. Sets were amazing, costumes on point though whoever designed Vic Chou's hairstyle could have perhaps come up with something else. $$ was spent on this and it shows.
5. Writing: Okay this should probably be the first thing since it is the most imporant, for me anyway. Again, you will be thrown in not knowing what is going on. I just went in and figured things out when the audience did and I actually found it refreshing and just went with it but could be frustrating for new drama watchers. The first half of the drama is learning the lay of the land in all these relationships, the middle episodes get characters in place for culmination of drama which is well paced imo. It is my understanding that the writer of the novel didn't even know how she was going to end her book. I'm just going to say it given what I have learned about the book, I actually think the screenwriter improved on the original work.
6. Side Characters: I read somewhere that someone judged dramas on how the writer treats the non-lead characters. Let's face it, many times they are filler. Every character in this drama has a story thread and we know where they are all in the end. Some wanted more of some favorite characters, but you know the situation they are all in and how they are dealing with it but the focus is where I want it.
So as you can tell, I liked it quite a bit and it left me satisfied. Some complaints that others had that I didn't or just didn't think were a big deal: Where's the smexy? Okay, I get it but - again - not as romance centric in the sense of this girl is 100% ending up with this guy (because, hey, the writer of the book took a while to figure it out and then the screen writer switched things up.) Therefore, this drama is romantic but not sexy and, realistically, she's got a broken heart to start off with at episode 1. So the smexy is just not gonna happen here. Some indicated a lack of chemistry with everyone but Bin Bin, but I actually think a writer could have written a romance with each of the three guys and made it work. Some just found it blah.
One last thought about why this worked for me is that some of the same type characters we see in these dramas didn't pop up or, if they did, it was limited: the pyscho obsessed woman comes to mind. Nope not so much here. As much as I love 10 Mile Peach Orchard, 70% of the leads love story was moved forward because of one character. Not here. This drama has some similar character types but it's limited and not as narrowly portrayed (Exp: crown prince fighting for throne type stuff.)
So this is a 9 out of 10 for me. Maybe I'm in a generous mood because I just watched the last episode but here's the deal: I maybe fast forwarded through 30 minutes of 52 episodes at about 40 to 45 minutes each. I don't think I've ever skipped less than that because generally there is a storyline I don't care about. So if you jump in and you are not feeling it by 15ish , this might not be for you and my apologies. The point off is for the question/inconsistency I had but can't get into, and I do think things could have been explained along the way here and there a tad bit better....and okay, I'll admit it, a little more smexy would have been nice.
General Warning: Beginning and ending credit/songs show a mountain a spoilers so beware.
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Well it a really good drama if you don't constantly compare it to Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms or King's Woman. It's a really good drama if you go in turning the useless Zhan Bin Bin fangirl mode. Because personally I think that this drama mostly gets a bad rep simply all of Zhan Bin Bin fans. This drama is about more than the romance. As someone here puts it, it's a story of growth. So if you truly want to enjoy this drama go in thinking for yourself. Don't let anyone sway you into one ship or another. And mostly don't compare and insult the all cast hard work.
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abusive relationship
idk why eternal love and the flames daughter are all about abusive relationships. seek therapy!!! there is nothing romantic about a older guy waiting till u hit 18 to try to bang u, nothing romantic about a guy who forces himself on you, nothing romantic about lies and manipulation. whoever wrote these needs to stop and get help and to those women who try to say it's romantic also needs to seek help. the actors are great, I started watching because I like Liu Ruilin and Dilraba and they did great with what they were given.Was this review helpful to you?
other than other historical drama that i watch, this story really goes well with the plot of the story and its ended well. most of the other drama that i watch i can't finished it because of it is slow and its delaying the story.
but for this drama the actors really express their character really well, and the plot really interesting and the way they deliver the story really makes me felt worth it to watch.
please anticipate it and surely its really worthwhile to watch
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This review may contain spoilers
If only the drama chose to stick to the original story of the novel, i would like it more.
It was because I had read the novel to the end, and read the epilogue of the novel's author. While the drama chose a strange ending, and completely different from that. Let's look together the epilogue of the novel,Xue's body dissipated, and he turned into thousands of rays of light and flew into Yu Zihan's body. Can't you be with her? Does she love Yu Zihan? Then, let him become Yu Zihan's eyes, ears, voice or even legs.
I prefer this novel ending, because it shows that destiny also does justice to true, loyal love. No one loved Ru Ge more than Yu Zihan.
Maybe if you watch the drama, you will see that Yin Xue also loves Ru Ge, but if Ru Ge is not the person in Yin Xue's past, will Yin Xue still love her?
Zhang Feng also once loved Ru Ge, but would someone whose feelings were sincere would easily doubt their loved one like Zhang Feng hurt Ru Ge's feelings?
On the other hand there is Yu Zihan who is always by Ru Ge's side to be her consolation every time when Ru Ge is hurt by Zhang Feng or grieving the loss of a loved one.
Well I will explain a little about the love story of these characters.
As a young girl, Ru Ge gets involved in a complicated love story with 3 men around her. Zhang Feng is the first school brother, and Ru Ge's childhood friend. Then came Yu Zihan at the school which automatically made him Ru Ge's second school brother. (the school referred to here is a martial arts school). Zhang Feng was not very familiar with Yu Zihan because Zhang Feng has no way of communicating with Yu Zihan who is deaf, and crippled since childhood. In contrast to Zhang Feng who was acting cold, Ru Ge had been very warm to Yu Zihan from the moment they met. Ru Ge always found a way to communicate with Yu Zihan. Until then fate got better when finally Yu Zihan was able to hear Ru Ge's words. And the first word Yu Zihan spoke was the Ru Ge's name. Even though Yu Zihan and Ru Ge's interactions were so sweet, it didn't change the fact that Ru Ge's first love was Zhang Feng. After they were old enough, Zhang Feng, and Ru Ge got engaged. Yu Zihan never let Ru Ge know his feelings because Ru Ge's happiness is the most important for Yu Zihan. Then because Zhang Feng thought Ru Ge's father killed his parents, Zhang Feng started hurting Ru Ge's feelings at all costs. Yu Zihan was there to listen to Ru Ge's broken heart. Suddenly a man from Ru Ge's past appears in Ru Ge's chaotic life. This person was Ru Ge's lover in his previous life. This person is pursuing immortality in order to meet his lover's reincarnation, he is Yin Xue. Even though Yin Xue's sacrifice for love looks very touching, I still don't like Yin Xue's way to win Ru Ge's love. Yin Xue knew that Zhang Feng had misunderstood all along but Yin Xue chose to remain silent, and only said it after so much chaos. And I also don't know what Yin Xue's intention is to save Yu Zihan from poisoning. Was it to make Ru Ge unable to forget him or because of his genuine empathy for You Zihan? That's why it's perfectly normal that I prefer the ending of a novel because it does justice to the good, and Yu Zihan's sincerity.
And I don't think Vic Zhou is suitable to play Yin Xue. I feel the acting is too much to describe someone who is flamboyant. I didn't give the casting a 10 because they chose the wrong person to play Yin Xue. But for other actors/actresses they have played the characters well. The side-acting love story is also interesting. Conflicts around the world of martial arts, and government are also very interesting. Although Yu Zihan is physically weak but Yu Zihan's intelligence is very helpful the people around him solve problems in the martial world, and government simultaneously. As a prince, Yu Zihan is not someone who has ambitions for the throne, that makes me like him even more.
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This review may contain spoilers
I completed all episodes in one week but to be honest, I skipped many scenes. There were many characters and side-stories, which were not fully developed and I wasn't interested in all of them. Even the story of the main characters- Ru Ge and Yin Xue, was rushly wrapped- up in the last few episodes. The other characters have open ending as well. The character of Lie Ruge is strikingly similar to Gongsun Li (The King's Woman) which is why I think people say Dilireba isn't capable of other variety of roles. Lie Ruge is close to her seniors who actually love her as a woman. It seems like for Dilireba dramas, there will always be more than one man who love her. She will always protect anyone close to her even in exchange of her life. I was pretty annoyed at her when she tried to save her maid without even investigating if it was a trap or not, given that there's a lot of investigation and secret stalking going on in the entire story. Anyway, I think the role is perfect for Dilireba. She's strong-willed and smart most of the time but her ultimate weakness is her kindness which is why wherever she goes, almost all of the characters are there to protect her. I beg to differ that her character didn't have any development. She did mature and made better decisions as time progressed. I'm glad I ignored most of the negative comments about her and still watched this series. But I did agree that the title is somehow misleading. Lie Ruge did have the power of fire but there's really no "wow" moment where she was able to demonstrate her power. Some synopsis say that her fire power will be unleashed but she just got stronger physically but her power wasn't really used much for her advantage.
Yin Xue is portrayed by Vic Zhou whom I am a great fan of since the original Meteor Garden. He doesn't age at all. The age difference between him and Dilireba is barely noticeable. Although his costume which is always color white did make him older. The story between Yin Xue and Ruge wasn't really completely understood until the last few episodes that's why people say they lacked chemistry. But after watching the finale then going back to earlier episodes, I think he must have truly waited patiently and longed to be reunited with Ru Ge. He did love Ru Ge deeply and sacrificially. I'll be dissappointed if they didn't have a happy ending together or if he died in the end. I didn't really understand how he appeared to have died twice in the series and then came back alive, but apparently, anything is possible for a Chinese historical drama. At least he lived and we have a happy ending. I wouldn't have watched this if it has similar ending as The King's Woman whose finale broke my heart into million pieces.
The character of Zhan Feng was poorly written and lacked depth, even the talented actor Zhang Vin couldn't save this character. Though as usual, Zhang Vin's acting does not disappoint either. He has a strong presence no less than the main lead. I was heartbroken seeing him in conflicted pain all because he believed in a lie about his parent's death which was not properly shown how it came to be. I was a huge fan of Zhang Vin and Dilireba pairing from The King's Woman so I have a slight second lead syndrome for Zhan Feng but he has done foolish things which hurt Ru Ge so I decided he doesn't deserve her. Although in the end, he was able to do the right thing and redeem his character. But it's too late since Ru Ge has fallen in love irrevocably with Yie Xue already.
Yu Zihan is everyone's big brother. May I say his character is almost perfect? He has a big, golden heart. He's quite wise and capable despite his physical disabilities. His only flaw is his being insecure which is why he never confessed his love to Ru Ge. But I think, he will always be just a senior to Ru Ge so it's a good thing they maintained their sibling-like relationship until the end.
In summary, I'm glad I watched this drama and ignored most of the negative comments. It has so much better ending than most Chinese historical dramas I've watched so far. I love happy endings and this drama has one. Most of the beloved characters are alive until the end. Not many people have died just the evil antagonists. I loved the soundtracks especially "Late Maple" and "Listening Snow". I also had last song syndrome for the opening and ending theme song. I'm now searching for new historical dramas to watch preferably with Dilireba or Zhang Vin.
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Reunion for most of the actors
I love Vic Chou in here, he's older than Diraba but I think he appropriately cast since he supposedly an old man that been waiting for reincarnation of his beloved for many many years. For being a feminine male, he acted really beautifully, I can see his lip gives small smile and eye soften with hidden desperation. His luxurious hair fallen on his back just gives impression this man care for himself, secretly waiting for his beloved to mature and come out as a girl replicating her mother - the woman he's in love and want to be with forever. The patient he has to wait, wooing a girl who's in love with another guy, be there for her, all done he's doing it with maturity (not stupidity) of a mature man. The make up done well for him.Yes, got twist of story here and there about misunderstanding Ru Ge and Zhan Feng, as well as intrigue to gain leadership and power in Flame's Lie Huo manor. One thing I don't like most of this drama most the actor was from '10 miles of peach blossom' so the actors were play different roles that contradicted to their previous roles in 10 miles PB such Zhang Bin Bin character married his sister in 10 miles PB or Yu Zi Han (Liu RuiLin) was so in love to Ru Ge, Lai Yi who's the bad guy, to name a few that picked to different roles from the same production company. Like they decided put these actors together again after famous collaboration of 10Miles Peach Blossom & Three Lives Three Worlds, the Pillow Book. Besides Vic Chao, this is just another lazy coordination of 'apple picks' actors.
Not a big fan of Dilraba, she's beautiful indeed, but I think Dilraba and Vin Zhang need to improve their acting - not the same old them again because we've seen their style of acting in 10 miles PB and not different at all. All compliments here are just basically for Vic Chao. The best of this drama was the soundtrack songs, Jason Zhang has a beautiful song, it's my favorite list.
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