Best historical drama
Ashes of Love. Where do I even begin? I have watched countless dramas and I rarely give 10s. Even when I give 10s, they are never perfect 10s. Ashes of Love is a PERFECT 10. Before I start my review of this drama, let me be upfront and say that I had my reservations about it. Most of the dramas I watch are set in a more modern setting and are more realistic than this. Though I have watched dramas like While You Were Sleeping (Korean drama) which dabble in supernatural elements, I normally don’t watch full on supernatural or mythical dramas. I came across this drama when I was reviewing a list of the dramas that people deemed the best of 2018. I watched the trailer and put it on my watchlist and I am glad I did.The first episode itself hooked me. The chemistry between the main characters, the story line, and the incredible actors all made me want to continue watching. As I kept on watching (more like binging) the episodes, I fell more and more in love with it all. I will admit, there were times when I was beyond frustrated. I was frustrated that the Yun Elixir prevented Jinmi from loving phoenix (Xu Feng). I was initially frustrated by how naïve and indifferent to love Jinmi was, despite knowing that it was not her fault. I was mad at the late floral immortal who put the Yun Elixir in Jinmi to keep her from loving anyone. However, all my frustration was worth it. When that stupid elixir finally broke and Jinmi finally realized that she loved Xu Feng, I felt as if her emotions were my own. And this is a big deal. I have NEVER cried during watching a drama. But this drama made me cry, laugh, scream, and everything in between. The credit goes to the incredible actors who will make you feel as if THEIR pain is YOUR pain.
Personally speaking, I think my favorite part of this 63-episode long show were the episodes that showed Jinmi’s trial in the mortal world. HOLY CRAP. The chemistry between Xu Feng and Jinmi in those episodes is ridiculous. When she admits to liking him (in the mortal world) and he asks her to marry him, I couldn’t stop crying. The pain of waiting and watching the before episodes was definitely worth it. Another aspect that made this show great was the villains. I have never hated any character as much as I hated the Heavenly Empress. She is a scheming and conniving lady who is utterly ruthless. Her and Sui He (bird lady) plot and scheme together so much and it annoyed me greatly. Don’t even get me started on the Night Immortal. He knew that Jinmi didn’t love him and yet took advantage of her ignorance of love to get her to agree to marry him which led to an excruciatingly painful love triangle. However, at points you find yourself sympathizing and even admiring these villain characters. That’s how good the actors were. Sui He and Fish Fairy (Runyu-Night Immortal) were the most tragic characters in my opinion. They both loved someone who didn’t love them back and it drove them to do evil things. Normally, when I binge shows, if I have time I fly through the episodes. With this show, I kept having to take breaks despite having time to watch because the episodes were so emotionally charged. I had to stop and let my heart adjust before I could watch anymore of the show. That is how affected I was. The characters are all dynamic and develop so much as the show goes on. Runyu changes from someone who is kind and merciful to someone who is cold and rather ruthless. Jinmi changes from being naïve and innocent to someone who discovers her love only after she’s lost it. While this show has a happy ending, there were points in the middle where I was seriously doubting it.
All in all, if you have any sort of reservations about this show, LET THEM GO. SEND THEM OUT THE DOOR. If I could love this drama this much and cry over it, you will absolutely enjoy it. The plot is incredible, and I honestly wish I could read/speak Chinese so that I could more fully appreciate the attention to detail instead of relying on subtitles. THE MUSIC WAS GOLDEN.
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This review may contain spoilers
The meaning of love
"Ashes of Love" tells the story of a girl named Jin Mi who's born without the ability to love, because of that she's always naive, happy and free, but everything changes when Xu Feng falls in the Floral Realm and meets her unexpectedly.Jin Mi and Xu Feng become closer and eventually are involved romantically, still Jin Mi doesn't understand what's love. There's also Run Yu, Xu Feng's half brother who falls in love with Jin Mi at first sight.
The three characters are connected with each other and when Jin Mi finds her real father, she discover that she's the lost fiancee of Run Yu. That causes the conflict that changes their lives forever.
I liked Xu Feng, but to be honest, Run Yu is a better character, his life story, his traumas, all that makes him more appealing to audience, when Xu Feng was always the favorite son and treated with more care, but Run Yu's jealousy was his doom, when he basically forced Jin Mi to kill Xu Feng with her own hands, making her think that Xu Feng was her father's killer. In that moment, Jin Mi broke her Yun Elixir, realizing what's love and what's she done.
Jin Mi's sacrifice at the end was to make amends, since basically everything was her fault, the brothers fighting because of her and destroying all that's in the way... I really loved Jin Mi's phrase when she's dying: "If your heart is filled with love, why would you be afraid of sadness and fear?"
Of course there's a happy ending for Jin Mi and Xu Feng, it would be too sad if that didn't happen.
The drama is truly amazing, the story, the characters, the development, the actors, it's one of the best cdramas that I have ever seen. It's really worth the watch <3
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Music is good...
Also female lead is gorgeous ....
Male lead performed exceptionally well.. loved to watch him when there's a war plot.... for a change,
Writers of this story should come up with nice script next time with a plot of male lead in demon realm and showing demon realm as a good place compared to heaven realm...
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This review may contain spoilers
To be honest I started this drama with high expectations, story looks nice, cast was good (pretty boys) , ost great, scenaries gorgeous.BUT this drama start so slow nothing happen, fenix fell in love so quickly as night inmortal , after a story about parents that by my side needed more deeply details, We realy no sure about love between water inmortal and flower queen, I didnt feel they love.
More or less at the middle of drama everything becomes predictable, she just fall in love but now he "hates" her and other girl lies about who saves him...bla bla bla.
In the end I expected something good but again allwas predictable and a little unlogic, Really she live in a mortal world and he never see her during 3 years?
Is no a bad drama but I really expected more!!
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You'll not regret watching
This was my very first Cdrama and did I happen to pick a winner! The sad part is I started watching this Sunday afternoon about 1pm on Netflix - thinking that it's like a 'western' drama - you know - maybe 15 at max episodes... by 3am I'm still glued to my tv thinking... kay - one more episode, only to find out it has 63 episodes!This drama has it all- Yang Zi is so pretty - and her acting blew me away as she looks so young! All the acting was fantastic - the story does not drag. The visuals, the costumes and hair was amazing. (I hate the drama's where you can see the meshing on the side of the men's wigs! It's a pet peeve of mine as it's sloppy work by the makeup artists.).
Over all, it's a classic and in 25 years from now I can see this drama being just as popular as it is now!
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A tale of two brothers
Love rivalry between half-brothers in the Heaven world, the Night Immortal and the Fire Immortal, two different characters who fall for Jinmi, a fairy in the Floral world who later becomes the Water Immortal.A very appealing story line with several twists and turns. Particularly interesting are their sojourns in the Mortal world and then later in the Demon world.
Run Yu, the Water Dragon and Night Immortal, is a handsome and huggable character, the more cerebral of the two brothers, he has love and passion, but alas cannot communicate the warmth needed to reach Jinmi's heart. He disregards Kuanglu's love while enjoying her admiration and his control over her. Later he becomes petulant and jealous of his brother.
Xufeng, the Phoenix and Fire Immortal, is the handsome, very huggable and kissable Immortal with an easy manner projecting the warmth Jinmi so desperately needs despite the Yun Elixir. He's very dashing when wearing black or armour and is always ready for action.
The other love story in the plot is Muci & the fiery Liuying's. Their enduring love has many tender moments.
Ashes of Love is very watchable and I've done so more than once. The downside is that the translation could do with revising as some words and expressions are not quite right in the context they are used.
I look forward to the sequel.
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First, I fell for the the visual effects right when I started watching it - episode 1-2. When you first start watching the show you are hit by the beauty of visual effects. All the scenes are beautifully crafted and its a visual delight for your senses. Each scene is set up just like you would imagine it. The floral realm has the right amount of flowers and heaven has the right amount of clouds. You are just captivated by the sights.
Second, I fell for the characters. This was happening by episode 3-4. When you are done appreciating the visual effects in the first couple of episodes you get engrossed in trying to understand the characters. There are a lot of characters in the show. Each one is crafted with a back story. The backstories help you to understand their actions and the motivations behind their actions.
Third, I fell in love with the deeply entangled story. By the time I got to episode 7-8, I wanted more of this story. This happened at the same time as I was falling in love with the characters. Just like any long dramas, there are parts you can do without but in this drama all the parts are interwoven carefully so you just keep falling in deeply. The number of episodes may have made the story progress slow but I found that I was craving to know what was going to happen next in the story. So many intriguing story arcs that you just keep wanting to know more.
Lastly, you fall in love with the actors portraying these characters. I fell in love with Male Lead and the Female Lead by the time episode 10 hit. Their acting was just so pure and raw. There are subtle changes in their expressions that express deep thoughts. Some of the episodes have the Female Lead with half of her face covered and she is still so expressive in her portrayal of the emotions. The Male Lead has this smirk that is just so fitting for the character. The casting director of this show did an excellent job and I couldn't picture anyone else playing any of the characters.
I had a great time watching this show. It was totally engrossing and I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to dive into Chinese fantasy dramas.
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Mesmerizing, appetizing, and unlimited rewatching.
Ashes of Love is one of the few "Damn, this is so good" dramas that ever existed. You might think it's a bit lengthy but it's really well planned out.Story
Romance, comedy, drama, tragedy, etc. its all in there! The story is huge and overwhelming especialy during the scenes that will make you bawl your eyes out because of the ache and the scenes that can make you smile in content.
Acting/Cast
^^ The cast picked out were really great and they really deliver emotions that can make you hate their chracter or even love them!
Music
BEST OST, or one of the best! I can't listen enough of the songs and how bittersweet they are. There was this one song that talks about how heaven and earth can't ever meet(*bawls*) and another song that talks about feeling lost and loss (*bawls even more*). It's so good.
Awesome production! Awesome CGI! Mesmerizing costumes!
A HUGE MUST WATCH! 10/10
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Go ahead and watch it
I usually avoid drama that have so many episodes and i'm not a chines supernatural/fantasy lover.But this drama got me hooked !
Do not be fool by the first fluffy-esque episodes. There is indeed a love story but you also betrayal and schemes.
Story: The plot is coherent and mostly well paced. If the begging seems slow, the interesting part come a tiny bit later later.
This drama will make you ride an emotional rollercoaster with no end. You will experience all kind of emotions while watching this show.
The main characters are well developped . You can see them experience conflicts but how they mature from those experiences
The acting and casts really did a good job of expressing their character's emotions.
If you want to try a C-drama, i'll recommand this one-
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Kudos to the cast too, Deng Lun and Yang Zi's chemistry is impressive. I fell in love with their characters so much that when they cry, i cry too. I never really cry in a drama but this one is exceptional. It pierced my emotions so much that yes I will rewatch it again. Same with the other characters. You will hate the bad guys, and the good ones turned bad, you will pity them. All in all great casting! Everyone is commendable! There are many love stories in this drama that you will truly truly love.
If you think 60/63 episodes is too long, don't. It is needed for each character growth. There are so many unexpected twist and turns in this drama. Heaven doesn't mean it is good, and demon world doesn't mean it is bad.
My only spoiler is, not everyoned deserve a happy ending. 10/10
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How I think about this series
The storyline first is confusing if you don’t watch these kind of dramas or you haven’t read the novel, and the main catchpoint of this drama is the storyline. If you rewatch, I mean yeah that’s awesome, the storyline wouldn’t attract you as much as it did the first time, a guarantee. The casts are amazing and good-looking, they’re good! But could be improved to the max. I actually only liked a few OST songs from this drama so I didn’t give it a high score, and it didn’t really help deliver the scenes. But wonderful drama!Was this review helpful to you?
Overall an awesome Drama
A pretty good drama which will take u on an emotional roller coaster ride, I don't think so if it missed any emotion. From those cute silly moments, innocent dialogues, funny clips to those intense parts where u really are stuck in a dilemma whos is actually at fault here, and what emotion u have or what u r feeling. It was fab and really heart touching dramaStory/Plot: The only flaw i can point out is it was really lengthy like 63 eps. I think there were places where they could have made things a bit more precise and could have actually shortened it a bit. I really cant say that it was a con but i really didnt liked or found it pretty annoying that the chars turn wise turn gained the spotlight and all that scheming stuff, but it was justified in a way so i made sense. Talking about good points, they are in plenty. The 2 or 3 bubbly characters, the Moon Immortal and Mr Puchi (Yan You) stole the show whenever they made appearance. they were really lovely and one of my most fav characters from the story. The little glimpse of friendship of Flora immortal, Water Immortal and Wind Immortal was also one of the lovliest part, what was more sweet was their relationship with Jin Mi. The parent bond was one of the component which really warms your heart. The demon princess also stood out among the best chars and also presents a father daughter bond again on the screen. When the scheming empress and princess boils your blood, these scenes and side stories comfort your heart and soothen your eyes. The fulfilled unrequitted love, love obsession(the crazy one) and ofc the bittersweet painful and heart wrenching love all mixed together with those sweet and annoying parts to squeeze out all emotions out of you, that was what this drama actually does.adding tyo it the war scene in the lasp eps was breathtaking. The ending was TOTALLY UNEXPECTED, i was really not looking forward that i can get such an ending, and very honestly I LOVED IT, and i think so did all. when we watch this kind of dramas, esp as complicated as this it is really difficult to give out a surprise happy ending, Either u end up getting a illogical ending or a tragic one. Thats where this drama went beyond my expectations and at the end u really feel, It was WORTH IT!!!
Acting/Cast: Like really, each one of them nailed it. JinMi's characters really perfectly potrayed by YZ. U can literally justify all their deeds and they truly succeed passing her emotions. Like the scenes where JM cries helplessly really made us heartbroken. The chemistry in leads were really breathtaking and the the way u could feel the pain, helplessness and all feelings . All charatcters had a character change by the end and the actors really adapted very well from expressing love, hatred to heart wrenching pain, which can really make ones eye moist and tears rolling down, esp in later parts of story.
Music/OST: The music is soft, sweet and lovely, perfectly befitting the every scene. There isnt much of it but still the ones which are there are superp.
Rewatch Value: Well there isnt any reason u wont like to rewatch this epic tale of love, sorrow, grief and what not. but half points minus bcz 63 eps are really pretty lengthy. Still They r all worth it. Be4 u go for it again, RIP your heart. From my opinion, I strongly recommend this one if u r really into good storyline and character development.
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