This review may contain spoilers
Loving who love us
Summary of the storyThis drama tells of a goddess from the fox clan who has long admired the former emperor of the god realm. One day she was saved by the person she admired. The goddess was looking for every way in order to enter the palace of the emperor in order to pay her debt of gratitude. After being in the emperor's palace for so long, she finally found a way to repay her debt of gratitude to the emperor. But in order to help the emperor, the goddess lost her human form, and returned to her original form, a fox who could not speak. In the form of a fox, the goddess helped the emperor exterminate the negative energy escaping from the soul locking jade. The emperor didn't know that the fox who helped him was actually a goddess. If the emperor had known that the fox was a goddess, of course he would have helped the fox return to its original human form who can talk. The emperor also brought the fox who had helped him to his palace. The fox had always been the emperor's favorite pet. Although they have interacted for a long time, the goddess never realized that she was only considered a pet by the emperor she admired. The goddess was so jealous with the emperor's future wife because the emperor pay a lot of attention for her, so the immature goddess clawed at the emperor's future wife with her fox claws. The goddess was very sad, and disappointed when the emperor defending his future wife, and locked the goddess in a fox cage. When the goddess came out of her cage, she was injured by the mounts of the future emperor's wife and almost lost her life. The thing that saddened the goddess the most was that the emperor was not looking for her. Finally the goddess realized that she was only considered a pet by the emperor so she decided to leave the emperor's palace. With the help of her 3 best friends, the goddess regains her human form who can speak. On the other hand, the goddess got the news that the emperor's marriage was annulled because the bride ran away on the wedding day. The goddess also felt so rushed to leave the emperor's palace that she had not paid all her debts. Suddenly, the goddess got news that the emperor would be reincarnated in the human realm. The goddess did not care about her own safety, and was desperate to help the reincarnation of the emperor. She did that to pay off her outstanding debt. In the end, the goddess managed to help the emperor's reincarnation process run smoothly so her debt was paid off. However, the goddess failed to help the emperor save the soul-locking jade and even the soul-locking jade fell into the hands of the evil demon queen. After finishing helping the emperor, the goddess returned to the fox clan. After the process of reincarnation, the emperor who had been asleep for so long finally came to his senses. With all her might the goddess tried to forget the emperor, her feelings for the emperor, and her memories with the emperor. Why is this feeling of not being matched so painful. As fate would have it, the emperor and the goddess meet again at Bai Qian, and Ye Hua's wedding. Even though the goddess constantly tried to dodge, circumstances only brought the goddess closer to the emperor. Until one day, because of the emperor's carelessness, the goddess was trapped in a valley that only opened once every 60 years. Until half a year had passed, the emperor had never come to free the goddess even though the emperor was able to do so. Therefore the goddess had given up hope that the emperor would help her. But suddenly the emperor appeared before the goddess and became her teacher. The goddess was even more surprised to meet the emperor's ex future wife. The goddess thought that the emperor came to the valley to persuade his ex future wife. Though the emperor came to the valley to help the goddess out of the valley. The goddess did not want to rush out of the valley, because she wanted to win a race that held in the valley to get pin po fruit. The pin po fruit is a magic fruit that is guarded by 4 giant pythons, not just anyone can take the fruit. The goddess needed the fruit to revive her human friend who had once sacrificed his life for her. With the emperor's guidance, the goddess managed to win the race. But the emperor actually gave the pin po fruit to his ex future wife. The goddess was very disappointed with the emperor, and decided to take the pin po fruit that was rightfully hers. But unexpectedly, it made the goddess trapped in a dream world. After realizing his mistake, the emperor was willing to enter the dream world to save the goddess even though he had to give up his 9 levels of power, and risk his own life. In the dream world, the goddess, and the emperor realize their love for each other. And they are considered married in a dream world. After exiting the dream world, the emperor and the goddess planned their wedding reception. But the emperor's ex future wife ruined the wedding reception. The goddess always waited for the emperor to give her an explanation but the emperor never came. This led the goddess to believe that the emperor also loved his ex future wife. The goddess did not know that her husband was dealing with the evil demon queen. On the other hand the goddess realized that she is pregnant and she couldn't stay in the fox clan so she decided to go to the human realm and calm down. Upon returning to the divine realm, the goddess was shocked to learn that the emperor's life was in danger. The goddess didn't understand why the emperor never told her about his situation. The goddess came to the battle ground to help the emperor against the evil demon queen. In the end the evil demon queen could be annihilated by the two of them but they themselves were also dying. After recovering from his illness, the emperor took care of the goddess who was still unconscious. As fate would have it, the goddess regained consciousness after her son visited her. Finally the emperor, the goddess, and their son lived happily ever after.
What I like about this drama
I love the characters, and their chemistry. I also like the storyline which is hard to predict. I also love the quality CGI. I am also very satisfied with the ending of the story. Even the drama OST is also touching and very matched with the storyline.
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I really loved the idea of this couple and story. But, each episode was full of filler with minor characters, unnecessary exposition and plot lines. I skipped more and more sections.
Dilraba Dilmurat as Bai Feng Jiu is a true delight and she lights up the screen. She's endearing and shows a lot of character complexity and growth. Unfortunately, no one really matches her. Every time she is off screen, I keep waiting for her to re-appear.
Vengo Gao certainly is no match. Frozen into an archetype - he's almost a cardboard cut out and shows very little vibrancy. The interactions between the two main leads 24 episodes in are still incredibly stilted. This is especially true when General Ye Qing Ti steals all his scenes by having true charisma and great connection with Bai Feng Jiu.
Once I caught myself skipping/fast-forwarding through more than 50% of each episode I realized I am done. I was looking forward to this drama, but it's time to give up.
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Pretty Awesome!
Although I started on episode 6, the episodes were still amazing! Though I didn't really know what happened before episode 6 (or what happened in Eternal Love), there were some parts showing what happened before episode 6 throughout the drama and there wasn't much of a need of going back to watch it as they weren't really included in the episode after episode 6. But I was hoping to see other relationships bloom and more things that weren't included in the drama.The acting was amazing! I was able to actually feel the emotions which is great and I loved how every one of them acted. The actors who acted as the enemies made me hate the enemies and that's great!
The music was really good. Just 10/10!
I'd definitely recommend this drama to others!
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My most loved series!
The first time I completed this series, I completely fell in love with the story, the actors / actresses, the songs etc. The story line is wonderful, a few minor changes from the book but not that obvious. But this did not stop me from watching this series a few more times! <3 I especially love Dilraba´s acting. She is so lively and cheeky in this series. She is definitely having loads of chemistry with Vengo Gao, making them an incredible pair for this series. Kudos to them! The music in this series is absolutely stunning - both vocal and instrumental. The right music at the right spots make the series even more amazing!Was this review helpful to you?
Reba looks tired in some scene. She looked fresh like daisy in first eternal. Still the chemistry between these two is terrific. My only gripe is they must have known this series was highly awaited. They should have improved on clothes and makeup department. Still when the duo look good they absolutely looked good on screen. I am enjoying the series.
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Really cool, Very recommended!!
First, my nationality is not Chinese I'm just European guy that loves Chinish dramas so maybe my view of why I like it is different done yours.Also, I never read the book nor do I read the first one.
I really like it the first series "Eternal Love" but this one I like it more as the act of all the cast was excellent they always put a smile on my face most of the episodes, and all performed an amazing act in their roles which made easy to drag you quickly into their world which is what I normally look forward when I'm watching anything. The characters are really funny From (Dong Hua, Bai Feng Jiu,) to (Si Ming, Yuan Yu, James Li & Young Demon Lord Wayne Liu).
Why I like it more than the first one? is because the first was too much drama for me especially when Ye Hua cried that much I didn't quite like that, for me the man it should maintain the composture as Dong Hua does really really well and elegant, One drop or two of tear is ok.
From the first series, I don't know why I was more interested in the character of Dong Hua as it was mysterious and the thing between him and Bai Feng Jiu made me laugh and enjoy that series more so maybe that's why I really like this one more because they focused exclusively to these two characters, Also its been quite a lot of action so you never get bored compared to the first one that I thought they were so many extra dramatic episodes that made the series a bit long on the Dramatic part side as it was like super extra exaggerated at least for me but no offence. But this was just perfect, not too much not too short, just the right amount, though the Aranya Dream was a bit longer than it needed as I would have prefered sorter and change to a different environment so we could have the chance to see other beautiful sceneries. But it wasn't long that can ruin your serie.
The Music + The Decoration are Amazing top 10/10 all those beautiful sceneries are top-notch
Si Ming it should get a Comedian show as his faces is super funny it gave a lot of cool moments.
I would love to see a continuation just to see the world and characters again.
To end I have to say Dong Hua should get an Oscar as his performance was Amazing in this series and on the first one, has that air of mystery and that knows everything I don't think another actor could have taken his roll it was indeed made for him no doubt. Also, that white hair is it just too cool jeje congrats to the people that made that looks Awesome on him.
Yuan Yu and James Li also gave a lot of cool funny moments,
The same as Bai Feng Jiu she did an excellent performance as that innocent naive girl which made a lot of cool moments.
Congrats to everyone and to the producers of the show as they did an Awesome job.
PS:
I hope that chines dramas never lose that magic and don't go bananas with sexual content as the western do now with series like Games of the throne which is one of my favourites by the way, but I hate when they do all that non-sense scenes of sexual as its very insulting, that's another reason why I like chines Dramas as they are clean, Interesting, elegant, they spend more time where they should (History, effects, fun) than the crazy sexual which doesn't add anything plus if we want to see that kind of things there are plenty free on the internet so I wouldn't be watching that series if I needed that, not sure why they don't follow your example on how to make quality Series or Films, keep the good job and give them example as the world went nuts.
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This review may contain spoilers
I had low expectations of this drama when I first heard of it because it was a spin-off to Ten Miles of Peach Blossom (aka Eternal Love). Usually, sequels and spin-offs would not be as good as the first one and considering Eternal Love was a major success, I did not expect a lot.I have read a lot of reviews saying it did not suit their taste or that it was boring and to skip to the middle of the series which I can say they can because the real story of Eternal Love of Dream (ELoD) starts at around the 20 ep mark. Some also said it was predictable because it follows the 3 lives 3 worlds format, which to be fair was true. It was predictable but it did not mean I did not enjoy it.
Story-wise, it did follow the original novel closely. There were little changes which is something the fans of the novel will enjoy. I have nothing bad to say because I love the plot (Yes, I am biased).
The production itself had a bit of a problem for me. CGI's were amazing. Costumes were not as luxurious looking compared to Eternal Love but I prefer it because of the color scheme. It was mostly pastel colors which were soothing to the eyes. (And don't forget how Vengo looks extremely good in his Donghua clothings). The problem mainly lies on the direction of the series. I am not really sure if I should've mentioned this in the "story" section of my review. Spoiler alert, it's all about Jiheng (If you want to know why this is a problem, watch ELoD now!). Another minor problem, the make-up for some scenes was a bit... yeah. But it wasn't that bad to the point where I would stop watching it.
Now onto the cast and acting. I have nothing else to say but an extreme gratitude to the fans who petitioned to have Dilraba and Vengo reprise their roles as Fengjiu and Donghua respectively. Dilraba is already considered an A-class actress while Vengo did get some criticisms from his previous works. Vengo has improved a lot and I can't imagine any other actor playing Donghua other than him. The problem with the two of them is their chemistry. Why is it a problem? A wide grin will appear on your face and thinking if they were really acting or not (that's how good they were). They have worked a lot in the past and this has likely contributed to their overflowing chemistry on screen. As for the rest of the cast, they were amazing. I have nothing more to say.
I know I kept comparing ELoD and Eternal Love but its something that cannot be helped because it is in the same universe. As I have rewatched both series, I can confidently say I prefer ELoD. But everybody has their own preference and tastes so it might not be a favorite to all.
One more thing, if you have watched Eternal Love and was hoping ELoD was the continuation to Donghua and Fenjiu's story, then stop for a minute. ELoD follows the real story of Donghua and Fengjiu. Eternal Love did not have the rights to the novel back then so it's (technically) not canon.
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Great from episode 21 onwards
It was hard to rate this, as the first about 20-21 episodes were mediocre and often boring, but starting from around the episode 21 all the way until the drama was good: it held my interest, made me laugh and made me cry. For people who start this and find themselves wanting to give up, I recommend you read the recap for the first episodes and start then watching from the 21st episode, since that's where the most important storyline starts. This is actually were the novel starts, episodes 1-20 are told in flashbacks. I felt the same way with Eternal Love (TMOPB): the best part in the drama starts from the same point as the whole novel.I have read most of the novel and I can say that this adaptation is very true to the original. Even though some things are changed, most of even the smallest details follow the way they were in the novel.
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This review may contain spoilers
A breathtaking story
So far, the most beautiful love story. After watching Eternal love (prequel), I felt there was no justice to Dong Hua and Fengjiu. This show came as a blessing. Such a moving love story. It took a while to get the chemistry going but it was totally worth it. Made me laugh, cry and love. The actors were brilliant, the story is outstanding. A huge praise to the writers, actors, producers and whole crew working on the project. Every aspect of the show deserves a praise. Definitely will rewatch it after some time. I only wish there is another season to continue this story.Was this review helpful to you?
It lives up to its hype!
This continues the story of Dong Hua & Feng Jiu from Eternal Love. When Eternal Love was being produced they didn’t have the rights to this story yet. So in Eternal Love they just made up a fictitious storyline for them. But in The Pillow Book they follow the book pretty closely. So just be aware that their story here is different and doesn’t pick up where it left off in Eternal Love. But don’t let that put you off. It’s an excellent drama well worth watching.Things that I liked:
Dilraba Dilmurat’s portrayal of a fox is spot on perfect. She’s so adorable! And I usually hate watching girls act cute but she just does such a good job of it. And the chemistry between her and Vengo Gao is off the charts just like in Eternal Love. It’s takes a while for them to get together but when they do there are lots of sweet moments for you romance lovers. There’s lots of real kisses, cuddles, flirting, and skinship. But what’s so great about this drama is that it’s way more than just romance. It has an amazing storyline. There’s political intrigue, great fight scenes, birth secrets, and warring gods. It’s a perfect combination of a deep period drama and a romance drama. It’s well paced with great music. I liked that the sad or angsty parts of the story didn’t get stretched out too long. They were there and they certainly got me more invested in the drama but they weren’t overdone to where I was stressed out and upset.
Things I didn’t like:
The storyline was quite similar to Eternal Love. It starts out with a Dong Hua having an adopted sister that’s obsessed with him just like Ye Hua had in Eternal Love. Then in the mortal realm Dong Hua has a love trial with Feng Jiu (and she has to break his heart) just like in Eternal Love. And yes, it was even harder the second time watching them suffer. Then of course there’s the evil being that’s locked up and trying to break free and destroy the world just like in Eternal Love. It’s eerily similar to Eternal Love and it made me wish it was a little different and more original. But I guess it’s really not their fault because they were just following the story written in the book.
That being said, it’s still an excellent drama that’s in my top 20 dramas and I’ve literally watched hundreds of them. Any drama that can take a similar storyline and make me love it this much has got to be great! It was well acted and the characters had so much depth and growth. It was well worth my time watching the full 56 episodes without skipping a single second. (Which is rare for me.) I liked that all of the questions were answered and there were no loose ends or open endings. And it didn’t kill off a bunch of beloved characters or make me sad or cry at the end like a lot of Chinese period dramas tend to do lately. It’s just a really good overall drama that never has a dull moment and gives you tons of characters that you enjoy and get invested in. I would highly recommend watching this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
The drama was really good in terms of acting and romances type, however, the story was a bit to understand at first until you watch further to understand why things were done that way. Love the romances between the character, the ending was amazing but wish they would've shown more of the family ending because it seems like it was so hard for the two main characters to get together. But the happy family only had like 10-15mins of the family time showing in the drama. I could understand the whole story without watching the other drama and it's a totally different story. Was this review helpful to you?
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Feng Jiu and Di Jun Redemption
Eternal Love was great for Bai Qian and Ye Hua but HORRIBLE to Feng Jiu and Di Jun. Honestly only them in the mortal realm was cute (until the bath scene).Anyways, I’m so happy I found Eternal Love of Dream bcuz I was always heart broken about their tragic love story (or lack thereof), and THIS gives all the feels. It wouldn’t have been the same without Dilraba Dilmurat and Gao Wei Guang! Dilraba is Feng Jiu personified and Di Jun is actually allowed to portray emotion and love towards Feng Jiu (and so hot with the white hair lmao). I think the most tragic arc was Aranya’s Dream, but the CGI and set was so beautiful that even when I was crying I’d be shocked and appreciating the set lol.
Rewatch value is high because the different arcs are so fascinating that new details pop out with each rewatch. Some shows it feels that the number of episodes could be reduced without really impacting storyline but with Eternal Love of Dream I found myself wishing for more!!
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