Love and Destiny

I pretty much started watching this because of the YouTube fan vids and overall, I really enjoyed what I watched. However there were quite a fews bumps, especially with the story, that prevented me from savoring it as much as I wanted to.

The story and some of the characters are what I have major issues with. Here are some of the problems I had:
1. Pacing. In the first 20 or so episodes, I was really impressed with the pacing. Events unfolded much faster than I anticipated and it made for a very engaging watch. They pretty much finished the entire synopsis of the story within that time frame and it made me think there was much more to come. Unfortunately that's where I was wrong; the pacing slowed down noticeably during the mortal arc (about halfway through the drama), and there was (IMO) way too much time spent here. I also felt some conflicts were drawn out much longer than they should've and some just became so predictable that I ended up fast-forwarding until the arc was over. I also didn't care much for the Shang Ling storyline after the mortal arc. The ending also seemed rushed and left a lot of unanswered questions. The pacing didn't get back on track for me until the last 10 episodes or so, by which at that point I was relying on the OTP and 2ndary OTP to carry that last section so I wouldn't get bored.

2. The villains. Specifically Yuan Tong and Zhong Hao (more on Jing Xiu later). I felt like these characters lived too long and were milked out as the bad guys through the entire show. I almost felt bad for YT being the punching bag of the whole drama, but she really was a bad person. Her clan must've really saved the world or something for her to continuously get pardoned when she really should've died early on. We don't even get to see her die; she kills herself off camera, which is so cheap (I was hoping to see Jiu Chen kill her ugh). Zhong Hao was also someone who should've died early on but again got stretched out to carry on being the villain until Jing Xiu took over.

3. Fake-outs. What I mean by this is that a character would say something is impossible and the leads shouldn't do that thing, but inevitably the leads do that impossible thing and conveniently gets out ok. I can't count how many times Si Ming would constantly warn Jiu Chen not to interfere with Ling Xi's trials or bad things will happen to her but he still can't leave her alone (once or twice was ok, but more than that was pushing it) and still makes it out fine. These types of situations happen a lot in the last half of the drama that made me take situations less seriously and I just couldn't think too much about it or I'd go crazy.

But I still finished this drama and I really liked it. Here are the things that kept me going:
1. Our leads, obviously. Their love story was pure and beautiful and I was doubtful at first because of how much older and colder Jiu Chen was. But wooow we really see how Ling Xi melts his hearts and how they would both do anything to protect and be together. I was quite moved by their love story, although I was quite miffed when Ling Xi pushed Jiu Chen away after the mortal arc; while her reasoning was valid, I wish it was executed better. I also wish their ending was better; it wasn't bad per se, but as someone commented it was like getting a snack when I was really craving a meal. They had a happy ending but it was kinda anti-climatic. I also wanted more OTP scenes when they reunited (I also felt cheated out of seeing them get married lol).

2. 2ndary OTP and side characters; most were amazing and kept me watching. I loved Qing Yao and Yun Feng's love story although again, I wish we had more OTP scenes from them. I also really liked Si Ming and Shi San, and wished we could've seen them grow to love each other. I also really appreciated that the Heavenly King here was a wise leader with sympathy, and had the best interests of our leads at heart. 

3. Jing Xiu. He really is an enigma, in the sense that he's not a completely bad or good person. I went through a wave watching him; I liked him in the beginning as a morally grey advisor, then hated him when he was pining over Ling Mo, then I felt pity for him in the end. He was really dealt with a bad hand in life and did what he could to survive. I agree with him being the main villain, although this should've happened much earlier and with better conviction; at that point, he became the demon king because he saw no other way out. I wanted to see his redemption and wished the writers gave him some sort of an ending because we don't even know what happens to him after he gets sealed up. 

I loved the music in this show, no question. It was beautiful and guided the mood very well. I pretty much have most of the songs in my playlist.

If they had cut some episodes, and refocused on our main leads, this would've made a better watch. But I'm still happy with what I got because I was ultimately here for the OTP and got a wonderful, heart-wrenching love story from them. I will certainly re-watch for them and would recommend you watch too, although with caution regarding the story pacing.

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Destiny is the villain

First of all, I think that this series was not for me, yet the plot was good, not excellent, but good. It is a good drama with a clever screenplay that avoids most of the Deux Ex Machina I found in a lot of dramas.

However, it's still not my cup of tea.

I found two major problems, but these are just from my point of view, totally subjective:

First, what I loved from Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms (I can't avoid the comparison sorry) is that the mix between bad fortune —destiny— and wrong decisions made by the main characters was on point, completely equivalent. I really appreciate those type of characters that must face the consequences of their decisions, the result of their mistakes. Ye Hua committed a lot of wrong decisions and he couldn't protect Su Su.

But in this case, all of the bad deeds that our characters must face are given by fate ('cause the plot needs this). They try to overcome that injustice always, always, and at the end I felt sincerely exhausted.

Second, and I think it's a consequence of the first problem: I couldn't get attached to the characters.

Because they didn't face any other problem than that given by destiny, I couldn't empathize with their feelings or their pain. There was a lot of pain, yep, but that was not enough for me. I couldn't care less of them, most at the last 5 chapters. That was the worst part and I almost laughed when they were separated (over again). How they managed to separate the main couple even in the last chapter? I cannot explain, it was almost hilarious.

So... That's it. I wanted to love this drama, but it was not made for me. And I think that the problem lies just on me.

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An amazing drama with so much tenderness and love! ))

.. One of the super exciting ones! She will capture you completely and will not let go until you watch to the end! )) watched without stopping! + very beautiful music and songs! .. In my opinion NI NI and Cheng Chang perfectly complemented each other! Such a harmony they have . all films or series with them are always excellent, spectacular! )
everything is so well done , the costumes , music and effects also the storyline is quite interesting built ! I lived through the whole drama for the main characters haha
As for Ling Xue, although he played a villain, he has his own charm ... to some extent, he was calculated by the character.
Maybe they must to make less episodes coz some moments was not really necessary but at all , all I liked ) and I think this OST deserve to be rewatched ))

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The most the most best immortality drama i've watched!

First the Story, y'all should know this story really interesting, the story between God of War and Fairy really caught my attention at first. Even the background story similar with Ten Miles Peach Blossom (10 miles of peach forest) but the story really interested, i still don't get it why this drama really underated huhu. Overal the Story really interesting, from the begin till the end, since the main role also supporting cast really play well with their character

Acting. Lorrrrrd how can i said, even the main Actor here look little bit more oldies but yall should know if Chang Chen played as Jiu Chen really well, as the god of war. I really love his charisma, i think he is the manly and charismatic God of War that i've meet in Chinese Colossal drama. I will put 9.0 for his acting, so on point. For everyone who watch this, i'm preety sure you will fall in love with him😭✋

And for Ni Ni who play as Ling Xi, as the innocent fairy, she's not pretty innocent, like others fairy you eve watch in another drama (Like Jin Mi in Ashes of Love), she is so innocent, but she is also smart and strong too, really— she won't let anyone touch her or fooled her cause she preety savage lmao, i laughed a lot when watching this drama. I really like her character here when played as Fairy who Live in Peach Forest in her whole of her life. When you first time saw her i'm preety sure you will fall in love too with her. I rate her acting for 9.0 too!

And for the soundtrack, you don't need to hesitate. Cause almost of the soundtrack really catch well on my ears especially for romantic scene. Dang you will never forget their chemistry! I really love all soundtrack from this drama af!

Rewatch Value? OFCOURSE YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS MORE THAN 3 TIMES. I MEAN— SERIOUSLY I STILL CAN'T MOVING ON, HOW JIU CHEN PLAYED WELL AS THE GOD OF WAR HIKS. I WANT HUG HIM SO BADLY!😩😩😩😩

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This is a good one if you are not looking to binge watch a show but want a good romantic xanxia style drama that you can put down and pick up with ease. The story is good but not very original, which frankly I don't always want new and different. It's like a comfortable pair of shoes. You know what you are going to get and it's comfortable. I did feel like it really dragged at a lot of places and then all of a sudden something major happens. So, instead of spending a lot of time on something that really didn't further the story they should have focused on how that major event took place, how the feelings developed, etc. The comparison to Ten Miles of Peach Blossom (TMPB) and Three Lives Three Worlds (3L3W) is only fair in that it's part of the same world. So, there will be some things that remind you of both dramas. It is not a remake of either one but it is sophomoric.

The cast was decent. There's a lot of strange comments about the Male lead not be good-looking enough, but I'm like what about his acting. Well, I'll tell you, he was great. He was cold and aloof but turned on the heat a few times. But mostly he was very serious like the God of War would be. The female lead is stunning, so it made it hard to truly evaluate her acting. But she did a good job of portraying the growth and maturity of Ling Xi. But the second couple was what I really looked forward to watching. They were great together. And I ended up loving them the most.

I hated the music. It was boring and annoying.

Overall, I love xanxia & wuxia style dramas, even though this didn't deliver much in martial arts the fantasy and love story were enough to entertain me for a while. It's not my favorite but I'm glad I finished it. I might even edit the review later on when I've had time to think over the show.

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Less is Always More

This drama is actually semi-decent but the runtime is absolutely atrocious. To each their own and this next part is purely based on personal preference of the viewer, but this is where I stand on the topic. I RARELY watch dramas that exceed a 40-episode count. I know some people prefer the longer runtime but I am NOT one of those individuals. Yes, I know things have changed a lot since this drama aired in terms of how many episodes each drama is allowed to have. But going forward, you should think long and hard about whether you would like to jump into a drama with this many episodes if you're a new C Drama watcher who is watching all the highly recommended dramas of yesteryear. Just REALLY think about it! I know some people claim that you won't even notice the runtime if you're truly enjoying a drama but that's simply not true. You will notice it and it's going to really emphasize just how draggy and drawn out certain arcs/plots are in said drama.

While I enjoyed this drama, I skipped a huge chunk of it. The episodes I did watch were fairly enjoyable, I must say. I forced myself to watch the first 8 episodes of this series before I started skipping around. That was more than enough to give me a decent foundation and feel for the story they were trying to tell. Like most xianxias, this drama was split into 3 arcs. The first arc was fairly entertaining, despite the fact that it was still too much. I skipped most, if not all, of the second arc. I'm notorious for hating the 'immortal is sent to the mortal realm to pass their tribulations' arc. I hate it with a passion because it always lasts far longer than it should and the characterization of those characters will render you impatient. The helpless, naive, almost wounded baby bird-like vibe of these characters during this arc is why I'm not a fan of it. Yes, Ling Xi seemed that way in the first arc but it was x100 during the second arc. At least Ling Xi had more spunk and was ultimately endearing. Lin Mo (her human self) was simply painful to watch.

Anyway, I liked the leads well enough. Ni Ni is absolutely PHENOMENAL when it comes to her acting choices. She is a treat to watch and she definitely tugs on your heartstrings. I had written an entirely different thing about the ML and I immediately pressed backspace because I felt it was best if I was honest. The ML did okay too; he's not a horrible actor but I felt he should have brought more complexity to this character with his acting choices. He was very much so stone-faced for the majority of the drama. I get it, he's the God of War and that's apart of his entire shtick. Stiff upper lip, stone faced, unaffected, unbothered. I know some viewers enjoy that but I like my male leads to be a little more emotive than that. Not too emotive but more emotive than this. Their chemistry was okay but it definitely seemed more like a mature love rather than a passionate one, which is bizarre to think about due to the very obvious age gap between the two characters. It's not a huge issue but I can see why it would be a dealbreaker for some fans.

The secondary characters were fun too, but the runtime made it impossible to enjoy them because the drama was so DRAGGED out. There were a few secondary couples in this drama, and they were actually not bad. But again, too many different plots that could have been wrapped up in less time than we got. Anyway, I have only fallen victim to the Second Male Lead Syndrome ONCE in my journey. It doesn't happen often and it still hasn't happened. What, did you think I was gonna say I had fallen victim to it this time? Noooo! The SML was fairly complex and nuanced but I didn't care for him. I felt no empathy for him or sadness. It's weird to think about, but I felt like I should have felt pity for him but it never happened. His scheming and plotting and pretending to be loyal to Ling Xi's mother for as long as he did kind of soured me on him. I felt like he deserved everything that happened to him. Sorry not sorry!

All in all, it was a decent watch. It was funny and I enjoyed the characters. Would I rewatch it? Absolutely not! Would I recommend it? Unfortunately, no. This monster of a drama is far too drawn out for anyone to truly enjoy it and not feel compelled to skip around. It's too long! You're going to give up before you hit episode 60, I assure you! Or you're going to force yourself to finish but it's going to be a hard fought victory. Also, watching this marked the end of my foray into xianxias. I'd told myself this would be the last xianxia I willingly watched because I genuinely don't like them. This drama isn't the sole reason for that, but it definitely solidified a feeling that was already brewing inside of me for quite some time now. Thank you, Love and Destiny!

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A flawed drama but still a 10 for me

It is a struggle for me to give this a rating..... This drama does not have the perfect execution, the plot is full of angst and tragedies too, but in the areas that it is strong in, it is so strong that these inadequacies become negatable.


Its weaknesses
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- Plot is quite old-fashion, and full of tragedies. In Chinese, I would describe it as 老掉牙的剧情。 Especially when FL was a mortal, it felt like I was watching a ‘90s Taiwanese soap opera.
- Inconsistent plot development and pacing. This drama has 3 acts, acts 1 and 2 are well-connected but act 3 felt out of place. Plot development and pacing slowed down a lot in act 3, making the finale felt rushed and left out a lot of details. Giving it a somewhat incomplete (but happy) ending.
- Time and Logic. Unlike AOL and TMOPB, where it was explained 1 year in mortal realm is 1 day in immortal world, there was no such explanation in this drama. Time pass in a very illogical way when FL and ML were in mortal realm. Eg: while everything is progressing in mortal and heavens, when Jing Xiu left FL to go to the wounded princess, he seems to take a very long time to reach her. As an immortal, he could have tele-transported or flew there? And getting the pill to recover the princess' health, shouldn't have taken him such a long time?
- Overdose of background music. Sometimes the background music got too much, that it overpowered the dialogues.
- Hairstyle designs for the men. Hairstylist gave the best bald design and hairstyle for the male villain (Jing Xiu), while ML and the supporting male characters have really boring hairstyles. Hairstyles for female characters are average. Only in act 3 that the FL got a more interesting hairstyle and beautiful costumes.


Its strengths
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- The sets and CGI. It really invested in building the sets for the key places, and director made full use of them in the shoots. In most cdramas we do not get a full view of the houses, but here the wide angle shots and characters movement give you a clear perspective of both interior and exterior of the sets. It makes the houses feel real as you can actually count how many rooms are there on each level. The CGI is also much better than the average Xianxia drama.
- The dialogues. If you understand Chinese, you would appreciate the scriptwriters’ efforts in the writing. Especially Qing Yao’s lines. She has some of the most philosophical lines in this drama. There are a few scenes of Qing Yao’s that I re-watch a few times because the words are so wonderfully written. Unfortunately, subbing is a challenge here. Its English translation can only capture the meaning, the beauty of the Chinese words are lost. The dialogues for comedy effect are very original and exaggerated too!
- The acting. ML and FL gave phenomenal portrayals of their characters. Chang Chen’s God of War is the best that I have seen. He played the silent, stoic God of War very well, and the tender and sweet moments after he fell in love. Ni Ni….. she’s got a very good role with a wide array of emotions, and gave it a best actress level performance. Ethan Li’s Jing Xiu is captivating to watch-- he conveyed his character’s hopelessness, tenderness and sinister-ness just with his eyes. The remaining supporting cast did good work in their roles too, especially FL’s 2 fathers.
- Attention to details. I love-love the little scenes with extra mundane details, of FL doing everyday tasks (cooking, washing clothes, sweeping). In most Xianxia dramas, they only talk about winemaking, here we witness FL preparing the peaches for wine cultivation. These scenes add to the realism of the characters.
- The OST. This is a 60 episodes drama, yet I seldom skip the opening and ending songs. Both songs are wonderfully melodic and express the drama’s theme well (they are written for the drama). A cdrama reviewer has even done a cover of the opening song on Qin https://youtu.be/DgHz88f6z6o


In conclusion, this drama is not the most perfect, but the acting, dialogues, etc are so good that you are left longing for more (wish there are more episodes).

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Great Story and Acting with Solid Background score

The story can great till the FL is sent to Mortal World. It slowed down a lot over there. It picked up only during last 2-3 episodes for me. However I enjoyed watching those slow parts as well. I am not sure what others would feel about those areas.

I don't understand Chinese but I liked the song which was being played in the background. So that was a Huge Plus for me. It is one of those drama where the actors didn't have awkward kisses so that was a plus as well.

The one thing I really enjoyed this drama is that the leads didn't have any major misunderstanding. They were resolute on their stand and showed affection for each other very openly.

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What can I say? I watched this drama because I miss Eternal Love. But I can say this is better than I expected. The whole story was so smooth and not overdramatized. The drama has 60 episodes, but I watched it unknowingly as if it was a 2-hour movie. The story is reasonable and enjoyable. It melts and breaks my heart at the same. The chemistry of both main leads are incredible, plus their acting skill is superb. Main Leads' interaction was so adorable that i wish they were couple in real life. I feel their emotions in their faces. Even CGI looks so real and very beautiful you can imagine it is a real places. The peach forest is so much better than one in Eternal love. I

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I have to say that I really loved the casting for this drama.

I was especially happy to see NiNi as FL since I'd first watched her in Rise of Phoenixes, which was also excellent.

I loved all the actors in this drama, I can't think of one actor or actress that didn't embody their character.

That being said, the storyline was also excellent until maybe the last 10 episodes.

This review has spoilers so don't continue if you don't want to know the ending! Also, for those who are unable to watch tragic movies or shows... this one does have a happy ending.

All in all, I liked how the ending was cutesy....but it felt a bit like being given candy when I'm craving a meal...The ending leaves soooo many questions unanswered!!!!!

At the end, I was not feeling very satisfied, but at least wasn't crying my eyes out depressed because of a tragic ending like in Goodbye My Princess. All in all, the writing was pretty good up until the last ten episodes of this drama like I said-- here are the things I had the most issues with.......................

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!

1. I felt like it was a little unfair for the advisor, but they did a good job portraying how characters/people can slowly descend into a darkness they would never have considered in the beginning such as with the female general. Apparently the lesson here is that self-righteousness can lead to complete darkness if it is tainted by selfish motives.

2. I felt that Lin Xi should have been more verbal about her anger at the God of War--I mean he did after all MURDER HER TWICE!

3. It was a little annoying how everyone in the show kept saying that the Spirit-Binding Abyss was IMPOSSIBLE to escape-- and yet a grand total of SIX people (that I recall in this moment) escaped from that place --some of which escaped TWICE.

4. HOW did Lin Xi escape the abyss????? Anyone?

5. How did Jui Chen escape from the bowels of Hell....Literally... and then also AGAIN escape from the Spirit-Binding Abyss??? Thoughts on this would be appreciated since the writers didn't feel that their avid audience had a need to know.

Conclusion:

Good enough to watch, though you might end up bemused by plot points at the end that made no sense....

NOT better than 10MoPB/ Eternal Love

BUT..... Good enough to rewatch if you've already watched Eternal Love a trillion times while angsting for 3L3W Pillow Book to some day make an appearance.

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Wow! Comparable in standard to Ten Mile Peach Blossom but livelier

The ideas of a peach garden, God of War, fighting the demon king, six realms are all ideas from the Ten Mile Blossom. But this drama has its own story line entirely different from the former. It has all the ingredients for a great drama - story, acting, costume, music, computer graphics, directing. And in spite of the intense emotional settings, there are some humorous moments which make me laugh real hard.

I can understand why more mature actors and actresses are chosen for certain dramas - few young ones could pull off the intense expressions of emotions and chemistry that Ni Ni and Zhang Zhen could. There are not that many Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo - even these two took a while to warm up to their roles in the Untamed.

I knew Ni Ni from the Rise of Phoenixes but I knew nothing about Zhang Zhen. Before I started watching the drama, I did for a moment wonder whether he could measure up to some of the popular drama actors like Hu Ge or Wallace Huo and he did. He acted the character of JiuChen very well - a powerful, responsible, canny, very stern, yet tender and loving God of War who protected the world and capable of harsh action when required. He is equally capable of showing extreme tenderness as well as giving hard, angry, stern looks.

As I started checking up on Zhang Zhen, I realised he was the handsome bandit lover in Crouching Tiger and Sun Quan in Red Cliff. I remember the 2 characters but unfortunately his name was not given much prominence in these movies. But I am sure his talents was recognised as he had a lot of lead roles, and was nominated for and won several awards in movies.

Ni Ni is an excellent actress who can demonstrate different facets of a character. In this drama, she started off as an innocent mischievous playful girl infatuated with the God of War into a mature sophisticated lady, both capable of winning his heart. The lead characters had this amazing chemistry. It was heart warming to see how they relate to each other, and how NingXi coyly seduced JiuChen, and how JiuChen fell hard for her. Their flirting moments were entertaining. Her expression of emotions was just as good as the lead actor.

If we are to nitpick, we will always be able to find some small flaws even with the best dramas, and I can pick one out here. Much as I love most of the costumes, I must say the designer for JiuChen did not do him justice - he is the God of War not a peasant or scholar. And this black cap he wore was terrible.

Finally, I re-watched this drama and love it even more.

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