Ashes of Love

My rating is probably totally biased. This was my very first Xianxia, I didn't know what to expect. There were no major flaws, so I didn't look for any either. If I had to complain about one thing, it would be those plastic flowers. I'd rather take bad CGI instead of plastic... But it's a ver y minor complaint, so it's neglectable (and it's probably a thing in C-dramas, so I can't avoid them in other ones anyways).

The story was well woven and well told. It was capable of chaining me to my seat and making me binge this in no time. There were minor and major key scenes all the time, that kept me guessing what could happen next and made me unable to stop. They also built up a captivating amount of tension before every event. To say that certain things were predictable might be right. But it's not meant to sound negatively. It's more like you fear what would happen and wait in anxiety.

The acting of almost everyone was soooo good, I enjoyed it alot (except for SML's mother... that was really bad). What I appreciate the most is that the leads never led me down. Not even once. Maybe they didn't always do things to my liking, but it was always reasonable and just the effect of past events. They stayed true to themselves (as far as that was possible considering the Yun Elixir). They touched me with their love, passion and made me feel their pain and suffering, as well.

The side cast did their job well in supporting the leads and the story. Especially the snake, the fox and the phoenix's guard were my favorites. And what I liked about the ending was that every character, good or bad, got one that fit in regard to past happenings. There's no mysterious incomprehensible happy ending for everyone.

What a ride... I'll definitely re-watch this some day!

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I wasn't sure where to begin with this review because multiple times I wanted to drop the show. Another reviewer told me it gets better, so I took a chance, and am glad I did. Around episode 35-40 this show takes off. If you asked me to compare it to another drama, I would really have trouble with that. It heavily borrows some plot points from other successful shows, but then every show does. I would place it in the realm of Eternal Love because of how it covers gods, but it is not as subtle as Eternal Love because the female lead is not written as a subtle character. The male leads lack the maturity of Ye Hua. However it does have a very big cast like Eternal Love. And the supporting roles are well-written. And because it is a melodrama, there are a few transitional arcs where a lot of people seem to die. So here is my full review:

1)The plot of the story sounds great on paper--but in the first 1/3 of the show, it is held prisoner by the main plot--the fact that the female lead ate a pill--hence it is frustrating because of her foolish choices--she can appear dumb and utterly unaware of how her actions impact others. To make it more frustrating, once she seems to be ready to break free of the pills hold, some jerk decides to repair it.

2)The show really pulled me in following the falling out--an understatement--of Phoenix and Jinmi. After that the show takes a noticably dark turn. Leading up to it are a number of events that are dark in themselves but did not change the tone of the show. Even the mortal arc, which pulled at my heart a little, failed to really capture my interest the way the latter arc did. After that it is very fast paced, and Jinmi grows a great deal--and I will call it survives--sucker punch after sucker punch. She isn't a victim herself and tries so very hard to escape her circumstances and address issues, but she lacks the power to do as she wishes. At one point in the show she wonders what she can do because she is neither smart like a strategist nor is she a warrior.

3)A key plot point that makes the show stand out from other show is a shift in how they treat revenge and punishment regarding villains and something that REALLY stood out to me was the scene in which the male and female lead actually have on screen relations--normally the lights go out but they actually show enough that in the West it would be like a pg-13 movie i.e. naked parts hidden only by a thin screen. It really is a great example of the inconsistent ratings in China.

4)I cried a lot. I don't want to spoil anything because I think it would ruin the impact the show had, but I trudged through about 40 episodes and don't regret it. If you have the patience for that, then I think it will pay off.

5)A lot of people were rooting for one guy over the other and taking sides like Twilight. I think that the two leads, phoenix and Jinmi, had such great on screen chemistry, and the person who played Night God did such a good job as a person who cared for her but it was clear why he could not be with her--and it really boils down to the difference in personalities between the two men and what they each prioritize. I never found the love triangle annoying because it really wasn't a triangle. It was always apparent. There were no annoying moments where she seems to like someone more. If anything tose moments are related to who she likes less. Which doesn't make a lot of sense.

I think this isn't a great review but I don't want to give away spoilers. I think the music was very good, sets were not so great, nor were the costumes but the CGI looked very good and they use a lot of it for magic. The fight scenes in the mortal world with Phoenix were great. Ultimately though you won't know until you watch it. I understand its a commitment but I was quite surprised by the turnaround. And I tend to really only like what I like and I still don't know how to really place this one. For the record, I did not like the King's Woman too much (love the actors) and I disliked Princess Agents, I did not like Fu Yao but finished it. I liked Journey of Flower and Eternal Love, the Flame's Daughter was descent. I liked Prince of Lan Ling. I keep trying to get into Ice Fantasy but never can finish it.

I took a point off in my rating because the 1/3 wasn't that great and 2/3 was getting better but not mind blowing, but the final 1/3 WOW.

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My Top #1 Drama

I have absolutely no idea what I'm supposed to do with my life now. I stumbled upon this show and before I new it I'm 3 episodes in and completely hooked! This series is based on a xianxia novel, it falls under fantasy and romance. The book is written by Dian Xian called Heavy Sweetness, ash like frost. I have not read the novel because they don't have an English version yet, but I do hear that there are some slight differences from the novel but all in all the TV series was even better than the book. I came across the series and fell in love! It is in mandarin, but it has English subtitles so that was how I watched and interpreted it. And I couldn't have loved it more! It's Everything! Jinmi is so wonderfully naive and innocent, she is the embodiment of happiness. She flits around unknowingly causing chaos and stealing hearts! I loved her so much! There were so many laugh-out-loud moments, this storyline is absolutely epic! It's so intriguing and you just get swept away in the story trying to find out the past and what the future will hold. I loved Xufeng, He was handsome and captivating. He is arrogant and softhearted, you fall head over heels for him and the way he treats his little demon/grape fairy jinmi. I shipped them from the get go but I was not ready for the everything they were about to put me through! Man, they are absolutely brutal on the heart! Their love is unlike anything I have ever read or seen yet! It's oh so worth it! I loved the Matchmaker and Mr. Hu, they were absolutely ridiculous and perfect in every way! Puchi/YanYou was another favorite of mine! He was so charming and mischievous, such a trouble maker with a heart of gold! And last but not least Fish Fairy/Runyu, he broke me. I love him and want to string him up! He made my heart hurt and exhausted me! This man made me so torn. There were so many moments where I was just like "ugh, him, pick him". I think out of all the Characters RunYu was the one who changed the most. And I was just so broken for him. This series seriously put me through the wringer! These characters steal a piece of your heart! They each are going through their trials and fighting for what they love and believe and it's so addictive! All I did for 4 day was binge this show! And it was Fantastic! I'm left so overwhelmed and full of so many emotions. I'm buying this series, the book and show(amazon) because I just need to always have this readily available to rebinge. If your thinking about watching it, do it! You will not be disappointed! I now have it extremely bad for these characters and left glaring at my husband asking him just what lengths he go through for me! SIGHHHHHHHHHH! Deng Lun & Leo Yunxi are my Current Crushes!

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Worth the time spent watching this masterfully written and depicted story!

To begin with, I read some reviews and didn't want to see Luo Yun Xi portray an antagonist character, however, it's a good thing that I changed my mind. He did a wonderful job in that character, a character that you like in the beginning. But as time goes by, you see how it changes and not for the better. He is one of the few characters that I didn't mind having a redemption arc.

Jin Mi/ The Frost Flower/ The Water Immortal:
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Jin Mi was also one of the best character Yang Zi has portrayed, another was her Yan Dan in Immortal Samsara. When I saw her in Go Go Squid, I didn't think much of her acting skills, but these historical romances changed my mind. She has shown such range of emotions, reminding me of Korean actress Gong Hyo-jin. Coming to her character, we have to consider her handicap, the unfeeling pill, the elixir that stunted her development and ability to discern things. Everyone in the floral realm appeared very weak, beginning from the ladies who raised her. They relied blindly on the pill, not preparing Jim Mi for what was coming in the future. For a 4000 year old, she had barely the understanding of teenager. And the Yun Elixir (the unfeeling pill) plotline left some loose ends. I mean did the elixir only cut of romantic love and not familial love? Because she loved her newfound father and auntie so much that she wanted revenge, those are some strong feelings. Phoenix was the first to fall in love with her, but it wasn't until later, a few months before entering the mortal realm that Jin Mi started reciprocating the feelings. Even in the mortal realm she hid things from him, she could have told him that she was poisoned and going to die, especially since she accepted his feelings. Her character was written beautifully, this was a coming of age story that made you hate her at times and love her at others. I'm glad she had to face the consequences of killing the phoenix, even once she was reincarnated. It was fair because she didn't love him as much as he loved her. She was so easily tricked into believing that he killed her parents, had little faith in him. Even once she found out that he didn't do it, the first thing she thought of was that she killed him mistakenly. Not how she could make up for it or bring him back. She wanted to bring him back to be with him, not only to atone for her sins. So, I wasn't really surprised with the way he treated her when he came back to life.

Xu Feng / Phoenix / Fire Deity
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This drama introduced me to Deng Lun, he and Yang Zi were well-matched in their acting prowess. Xu Feng was one of the greenest flags in Cdramas you'll ever get to see, much similar to Sifeng from Love & Redemption. Even when he tried to hate the FL for what she had done, he found it unpalatable. But he did hate her, you have to when the person you are trying to protect stabs you in the back. The worst part of it was not that she stabbed him, it was heartbreaking for sure, but she stabbed him in the back. Even when she did that, all he did was ask her if she ever loved him. She denied it and that was the last thing he ever heard. Even when he came back from the dead, he didn't for a moment think about getting revenge against her. He only wanted to live his life and not bother with others. Apart from Run Yu, he was the one who suffered the most throughout the series, at the hands of the Jin Mi, his parents, and let's not forget Su Hi. The worst character Tai Wei, the heavenly emperor, who raped the woman he claimed to love and just wanted people to forgive and forget. What's worse, he still claimed to love her. Him along with his crazy wife were the reason Xu Feng suffered so much. Had they left it alone and minded their actual responsibilities, they wouldn't have meddled in their son's life so much, causing him untold grief. Let's not forget Su Hi, this trio went out of its way to make others miserable. The one flaw that Xu Feng had was he overlooked his parents crimes and tried to get them pardoned at every opportunity when he should have been disgusted by them. Even when he thought that his mother could have killed Jin Mi's father, he wanted to find a way to save her. His mother did kill Run Yu's mother, for that, he could only apologize, which was fine and reasonable, but what wasn't was not calling his mother out on it. He enabled her in that way. He also knew how his mother treated Run Yu and while he called her out on it, they were still living same toxic cycle where she continuously put Run Yu down.

Just a phenomenal groups of actors that worked together on a well-written story.

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One of C-Drama masterpieces

If you hesitate watching this drama, don't anymore!
This drama is based on Heavy Sweetness, Ash-like Frost by Dian Xian. The storyline is well written, starting with a sense of lightness and some suspens to start plot. Deng Lun makes you fall in love with Xufeng, while Andy Yang makes you laugh and cry with Jinmi. All characters are complex enough but well defined to give the story more texture, such as relations between the 2 brothers who respected & loved each other, but grew to take different paths. You can't wait to know what will happen in next episode. Decors are magnificent and CGI will not disappoint you either. Be ready to smile, jump in your seat, cry (a lot), be angry, fall in love .... Ashes of Love will make you dive into its xianxia universe!
I have watched the drama 3 times already on Netflix and can't get over it. The chemistry between the 2 main characters melts your heart, and the second lead roles have nothing to envy to main roles.
It is a must watch ! You will not regret it. It is sublime !

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Overall, it was a very good series. I watched it with interest. But there were many mistakes, many lies and mistakes. There were so many contrasts with each other that the fantasy series was made as if everything was okay. A lot of lies and wrong things were included, some things were made as if they were forgotten, and when they were repeated, we asked why this was repeated. Imbalances between the powers were great. The gods remained lower than some immortals. They became their pawns. They lost to them and everything. Then why did you say God? I mean that the given features are not suitable. In one place, you see a person who knows everything, and in another, he is unaware. He doesn't know anything. His wisdom has been reset. Or he becomes weak while being strong. You wonder what to do while watching. However, I evaluated it as a whole. If I looked at these I would give 5-6 points. Since I didn't watch it, it became a 9-10 series for me. I felt the emotion. I felt the love thing. I felt revenge. I felt the lie. I felt the subterfuge. I felt the plot, the trap, the disloyalty, the unscrupulousness, the helplessness, the loneliness, the powerful, the powerless. I liked the actors very much. Yang Zi in particular was very successful. I love him very much. I like your game. I'm watching your series. I haven't come across any bad TV series. He has a talent, acting, light and aura that takes it all by itself. I hope to watch the next series as well. Deng Lun, Yuo Lun Xi, Chen Yu Ki were my favorites. The matches were good. I didn't like the Liu Ying and Mu Ci pairing. I found Chen Yu Qi to be very successful, but he had no matches with Zou Ting Wei. The female actor was more dominant and more successful. The actor was arrested. Either they did not agree on the game, or it was played as if the female player had the upper hand and said "follow me" or something. That woman was very, very good. I like it a lot. The other actors are also beautifully reflected in their characters, if I were to write them down, it would take up a lot of space. Like Dan Zhu, King GuCheng, Lao Hu, Lord pu chi. The examples are given very well. I like. I liked them all. I sampled. I liked how the story was thought out. As I said, there are many mistakes in the script while filming. Or things that were not taken into account, but I felt like I was in it while watching it. I got carried away. That's how I watched. I like. I would recommend it to everyone.

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Eternal Love, Perfect Casting, Great Chemistry

This is the First Chinese Historical Drama I have watched. But the best Chinese Historical Drama for me is "The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion". Anyway, Yang Zi and Deng Lun have great chemistry. I hope they will have another drama in the future whether it is a historical drama or modern drama as long as they are the main lead couple. Prepare more tissue if you plan to watch this drama. What I don't like about this is, they didn't give Yang Zi and Deng Lun more sweet scenes. Although it was an happy ending, I was looking for more romantic scenes specially they really have a great chemistry. But still, I re-watched it for how many times already because of Yang zi and Deng Lun. I love seeing them together. Every time I re-watched it, I still cry on the sad scenes.
Xu Feng my Phoenix ❤️

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I have to admit that Ashes of Love was a bit slow in the beginning of the drama but as the drama progressed, I fell in love with this drama! The FL and ML had intense chemistry (so much that I am convinced that the love between them is real in real life)! As the ML fell in love with the FL, I fell in love with their love story. There were many heartwarming parts that makes your heart flutter and there were many heartbreaking scenes that made me bawl. This drama had a lot of amazing scenes that I will never forget and don't mind replaying over and over. All the actors and actresses worked very hard and they did a brilliant job portraying their characters! The songs in this drama were also amazing!

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NOT A WASTE OF TIME

I INITIALLY DONT WANT TO WATCH THIS DRAMA!!!

First, I am not really a fan of historical/costume dramas, be it k/j/cdrama. Specially cdramas because it's TOO LONG. Imagine watching a 50ep drama vs 16ep drama. I can watch 3dramas with that already.
Second, I'm still hung up with GOGO SQUID. I don't want to betray my TongYan/HanShangyan cp. I can't imagine them with other actors.

ALAS, quarantine x boredom hits hard and I need a drama to watch. It has been one of the recommendations. At first I wanted to watch the start middle and end part to see if it's really that good. But as I was watching the first eps I got really hooked. Why????
1. It's too humorous. There's so many funny parts. Slapsticks sometimes irk me but in this drama I really enjoyed it.
2. The acting! My YangZi, as one of my fave, of course nails the acting part. It's my first time to watch DengLun tho I remember him in Skate Into Love, he's so skinny there. But I also give him a big thumbs up. All in all 10/10 for acting
3. The story. Well obvs that a lot of the plot is recycled. I still remember the part where DengLun stab himself. Kinda reminds me of Naruto(because he said he'll bear all of the grievances of the past) lmao

I put 7 on the rewatch value cause of its length. I just can't imagine myself finishing it without skipping an episode but I DID🤯. I thought that it was a 65ep so when watching ep63 I was like, why does it looks like its ending now.
I'm so proud of myself tho for finishing it.

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A love story having ups and downs

I haven't watched many chinese dramas..but I have my fill of famous chinese dramas..and Ashes is one of them.

1. Story:
If I want to talk about the story then I would like to say it is one of the most beautiful story for any drama lover and nobody will regret watching it. Ofcourse it has a love triangle, 2 evil witches, side characters love story, playful side characters and what not to give you a wholesome package, where ML falls in love with FL and another lead started playing all sorts of games to make her his own but in the end First lead gets the girl.
BUT a major twist in this story is if you can connect to the characters in this story then you will feel that Second Lead deserves audience compassion, STILL he doesn't deserve the girl so NO there is no second lead syndrome in this series.
My heart went to Ran You (second lead) because he always suffered from the hatred of an evil bitch, he was manipulated into hating his own mother still he was looked down everytime beyond his good intentions. So if he started his own manipulative games we couldn't blame him. In his own hatred he started loving female lead but in his obsession of revenge he started using FL which was wrong on his part so he doesn't deserve FL which was good as shown in the part.
First ML though he had kissed FL after she was confirmed to be the fiancee of second lead but I do not think it was wrong because at that point of time both ML and FL started loving each other and both wanted to marry each other not the other way round.
Yeah he notiched FL after she dressed up but she already made her place in his heart due to her cute antics previously so love already started blooming earlier, so we cannot say that his love was bullshit.

Some scenes were dragging on my part but you cannot have a drama if somethings can't be draggy.

I am just disappointed from the ending part of the story.
It would have been way better if fox fairy, snake immortal would have made appearance in the end and moreover a little hug between the main characters or hand holding would have been nice. It was like ML is playing with his son and he forgot that he has a wife which was rubbish from my POV.

Overall it was worth watching, having an absolute rewatch value.

2. Cast:
Each and every person justified their character including villains.

3. Music:
Though only 3 songs were used repetitively but these songs were so good and fit the situation perfectly.

Overall it was worth watching..I have watched it 2 times already.

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