This review may contain spoilers
Only A Genuine Love Will Lasts For A Lifetime
I had anticipated Love and Redemptions official airing since the moment I stumbled upon its trailer, although to be honest during those times I was a bit hesitant because I was unfamiliar with the actors and actress (Cheng Yi and Crystal Yuan). This is the very first time I watched their work and my expectations didn't disappoint, instead they set the bar so high for me.From the very beginning until the end of love and redemption, there are no words that could best describe the love that both Xi Feng and Xuan Ji had shared. It is so beautiful and moving, I have watched a lot of romantic dramas/movies before but this is the first time I witnessed this kind of love that is close to perfection and knows no boundaries so it left a deep impression on me. The male leads love aka Si Feng's love for Xuan Ji is so genuine and brave to the point he became too selfless that he would go through so much length in order to protect Xuan Ji, even if the price he has to pay is with his own life. He was the one who had no prejudice over the good and the evil, he believed in goodness no matter what form or difference and when it comes to Xuan Ji, he is the first until the end to believe in her, even after knowing her heart was made of glass. He filled it up and never gave up. There is no other character that can compare to Si Feng, he has it all, a complete angel. As for Xuan Ji, for once I had never hated or got annoyed with her character because I saw how much she had suffered and had been manipulated and it was understandable how slow she was since she used to be as clean as a blank paper, but her character progressed a lot when she finally learnt what love is and her love for Si Feng is so pure and colorful.
The storyline of Love and Redemption has depicted so much emotions in a span of 59 episodes. It is so fresh and there were a lot of memorable and meaningful scenes. Cheng Yi has now become one of my fave actors same for Crystal Yuan. Cheng Yi's portrayal of Si Feng went beyond and sometimes it felts as if he were a real person. He displayed so much emotions in every scenes, including the scenes were he vomited countless of blood. Would love to commend him for that. On a side note, he is very handsome as well... I couldn't stop staring at him all throughout and there were scenes I repeated countless of times just to appreciate his visuals even more. Crystal Yuan on the other hand gave so much life to Xuan Ji, she perfectly displayed her innocence and when it came to her GOD OF WAR scenes, I can't help but be amaze at how badass she looked. She is a very impressive actress, and I am so proud of her because her character wasn't easy to play. For the side characters, Teng She, Zi Hu, Brother Liu, Wu Zhi Qi and Ting Nu are my top faves because they weren't like the rests who turned their backs easily on others, they stayed by Xi Feng and Xuan Ji's side no matter what. Lastly, the villains I hated the most was Hao chen, though I would commend the actor who gave life to him because he did well too.
Now that love and redemption has ended, I am hoping that SEASON 2 would happen with the same casts, I can't imagine it without Cheng Yi and Crystal Yuan. I need those two in another project together. It will be so hard to find a drama as good as this.
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Decent drama but over-hyped
Goodness.Where do I start with this show.
So it's not the worst I've seen but I definitely don't understand all the hype that has surrounded this show. In my opinion, the chemistry was average and the story wasn't terrible but definitely had a lot of draggy bits and some ridiculous moments.
I would say the worst part of it all was the characterization of the FL - pretty much 80% of the show she is gullible, manipulated and basically used as pawn for everyone's selfish motives. You think things get better when the plot changes a bit and she realizes what she is but NO - she's still manipulated and basically has absolutely no autonomy over her decisions, destiny and life in general. It's super frustrating as a viewer because I can't help but be mad at her the entire time and groan every time she starts waving that ridiculous sword.
The ML was great in the acting department and he kept the show alive and carried it - in my opinion.
I'd watch this if you have nothing better to do and want to watch some new actors on your screen.
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Perfect. Everything you could ever want in a drama.
This is on par with the directors cut of Goodbye My Princess for the best show I have ever seen. It has everything from breathtaking scenery and sets, jaw dropping special effects, gorgeous costumes, intense action sequences, nail-biting suspense, both wonderfully sweet and bitterly heartbreaking moments, romance that is cute & funny but also hot & steamy, complex characters who each have their own struggles yet are all important to the plot, deeply thought provoking concepts, flawless acting, a detailed screenplay written with care and precision, top-notch direction and camera work, an epic soundtrack, and masterful story writing. It's absolutely perfect.I cannot even describe how much I enjoyed watching this. I cried buckets of tears, sobbing one moment and screaming for joy the next, but ultimately leaving me with a good feeling. I don't care what else is on your watchlist, watch this RIGHT NOW. You won't regret it I promise.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Good Heartbreaking Story
If you were a fan of Ashes of Love and Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms then grab a tissue box and settle in for a good, heartbreaking ride.The styling of the drama was well done with each person looking great in their costumes. No one was too flashy or near comical looking. The CGI and and fight scenes were obviously a higher budget and very well done; it's a real treat to watch the fight scenes. I didn't love the color scheme for heaven since it's been done over and over but it's a minor thing compared to the rest of the sets.
The soundtrack is beautiful. Every track elicits a certain scene is my mind. Shuang Sheng's "Thousand Years of Love" brings me straight to episode 3 when Si Feng smiles because Xuan Ji tells him his smile reminds her of the intoxicating wine she drank. "Lover's Curse" brings me to episode 37 when Si Feng looks heartbreakingly at Xuan Ji after she accidentally attacks him and activates the 2nd part of his lover's curse. Then of course there's Zhou Shen's "Love Like Colored Glass" which makes me think of too many scenes to name them all. The soundtrack will be on my replay playlist for a good while.
The acting in this drama is fantastic. This has been said many times but Cheng Yi is amazing in this drama. I've never heard of him before but I'll for sure be keeping tabs on his future projects. I dare say his portrayal of Si Feng is near equivalent to Mark Chao's Ye Hua of Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. Cheng Yi speaks volumes with just his eyes and facial expressions and dramatic roles are truly where he shines. Yuan Bing Yan was not far behind either. She reminds me of Zhao Liying; not so much for acting prowess but because she can play innocence and naïveté well yet she's fierce when her character needs to be strong. If you watch the BTS of this drama (especially the dramatic parts), it'll show the dubbing does not do her acting justice. I know Zhang Yu Xi gets a lot of flack for her acting but her portrayal of Ling Long and her struggle with overcoming her trauma was beautifully done. Her crying scenes made me cry along with her. Overall the casting was very strong and there isn't a weak link in the characters.
This drama is VERY angsty but also very fast-paced once the true problems are revealed. (When watching episodes 37-48, take a 10 minute break between each episode. Those 11 episodes are extremely heavy and may induce hyperventilation from anger, frustration, or heartbreak (in a good way)). You can see the reasoning behind every character's actions and even though Xuan Ji gets a lot of hate, she made her decisions based on the actions of those around her. A lot of crucial information is kept from her both from the main antagonist, Hao Chen and from her love interest, Si Feng. They did it for different reasons but the action was still the same nonetheless. It's nice that this drama has no love triangle/square between the two leads. Yes, you have Hao Chen and Xiao Ying Hua but Xuan Ji and Si Feng's feelings are solidified from the get-go. There's no thinking he/she loves another so the misunderstandings do not stem from that.
There is a twist to the story and I love that the author strayed from the cliche. The author cleverly makes Si Feng a red herring for a plot reveal that would otherwise have been a common trope. Xuan Ji's growth as a character is so excellently well done, especially once truths are revealed. Xuan Ji's background as Luo Hou Ji Du is so beautifully sad and I honestly rooted for him to exact his vengeance on the friend who betrayed him, cut him up, sealed away his heart, and made him kill off his own people.
This is definitely high on my drama list and ranks in my Top 3 xianxia dramas right behind Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and The Untamed. Once subtitles are available for all 59 episodes I'll probably buckle down and marathon this again.
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Finished!!!
Hello, this is my first time writing a review.I would like to say that I just finished watching this drama in Chinese subtitles.
The reason I love this drama is that its similar to Ashes of Love and Eternal Love that about "One Live and One Afterlife" and based in immortal/ fantasy setting. Ther story involved, human, heaven and demon realm. The story plot is unique, not repetitive and not slow. The main leads (ML and FL) always appear in every episode compared to other Chinese drama hence I felt that I'm watching their story. First couples of the episode are funny due to the FL character and above episode 25 the story gets really serious.
The main cast is a really good actor/ actresses before i watch this drama i only know "Cheng Yi" due to The Lomb Tomb 2 he was a fantastic actor and portray the character really well! I know Crystal Yuan since The Mystic Nine, Royal Highness and Listening Snow Tower. I felt that her acting skills have been improved since the last drama i watched so highly recommended! Lastly, i only watched Yu Xi from Intense Love and the rest of the cast it was my first time watching them so i learnt something new!!! I would like to say that every cast members in this drama is fantastic and portray really well... no wonder why this drama is is really famous in China.
I will continue to support the main cast other dramas, i recently saw Cheng Yi new drama "The Promise of Chang'an" just broadcasted right after Love and Redemption so i found that part funny ...
I never skipped any seconds, minutes or episode with this drama so I'm proud to say is that i love this so much!!! Highly Recommended!
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Complex, Intriguing and Heart-Wrenching
This story is complex and twisted, but at the same time intriguing and heart-wrenching. The plot is initially very hard to understand, as I have felt I needed 10 brains to dissect and digest the story. The journey to discovering and finally understanding the plot is littered with blood and romance, love and hate, trust and betrayal, friendship and animosity. The story telling and the acting are amongst the best in recent dramas.Yu Sifeng (Cheng Yi) is a son of a human mother and Golden Bird race which disguises as a cultivator sect wearing masks. He's the top disciple of the sect and his biological father is the sect leader. Their masks are never to be removed but somehow Yu Sifeng's mask is removed by Chu Xuanji (Yuan Bing Yan aka Crystal Yuan). This is their 10th lifetime meeting each other. For his past 9 lives, Yu Sifeng has loved and been devoted to Chu Xuanji but dies in her hands or under her who doesn't even know of his love and devotion. In this tenth lifetime, she finally falls in love with him but he's now a Golden Bird that is considered demonic and persecuted by the cultivation sects. The couple goes through a lot of trials and heartaches, especially for Yu Sifeng. In every episode from beginning of the drama till the end, he suffers enormous pains, both physically and emotionally, and each time, his love and devotion for Chu Xuanji never wane. Their love story and romance are beautiful and heart-wrenching. All the viewers' hearts go out to Yu Sifeng because of his sufferings and committed devotion to Chu Xuanji. As the story develops, we begin to see this is only part and puzzle of the overall plot. Who is Chu Xuanji? Who is Yu Sifeng?
Cheng Yi’s acting is fabulous. As Yu Sifeng, he’s quiet, patient and reserved but compassionate and passionate. He’s the kindest being ever, protecting others and sacrificing himself. He’s always the last to speak and endures all the mistreatment others throw at him. His face is always emotionless and leaves everyone guessing what he is thinking. And yet, Cheng Yi speaks with his emotions. The viewers can feel his agony, torments, despairs, pains, resignation and anger. With Chu Xuanji, he is always patient and forgiving. He loves her so much that viewers can feel his affection by how he looks at her, so tenderly and lovingly. Cheng Yi delivers 100 percent of Yu Sifeng to the viewers.
Yuan Bingyan’s portrayal of Chu Xuanji is close to perfection. She is beautiful and young with a naïve and innocent look. Time and time again as Chu Xuanji, she hurts and torments Yu Sifeng, either unintentionally or intentionally, physically or emotionally, and then she would return to him to help him heal, only to throw him back into his misery again. However, when the lives of those she loves are threatened, she changes into a fearsome warrior that is completely different from that silly young girl. Yuan Bingyan is very believable as Chu Xuanji and has had a great performance.
Other cast members are equally impressive in their acting. I’m particularly impressed by Bai Shu’s acting as Teng She; the way he talks and slithers, exactly like a snake which he has transformed from.
The CGIs in this drama are not too bad. The backgrounds are pretty well done. I love the golden wings that come out from Yu Sifeng. They’re so beautiful and look so authentic, and Cheng Yi’s acting blends right in with the wings naturally as if those are part of him. I absolutely love those ethereal visuals of him.
Of all the three realms – heaven, underworld, and mortal world, both Yu Sifeng and Chu Xuanji want to live in their current lifetime in the mortal world – as they put it, it’s great to be humans. The endings are satisfactory to most viewers with all characters having proper closures, the deserving awarded and the villains redeemed.
Despite its length of 59 episodes as I was hesitant initially, this drama is a great watch that tugs at our hearts. I have truly enjoyed the journey. Strongly recommended. Two thumbs up!
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This review may contain spoilers
What Ashes of Love failed, LAR (love and Redemption) had succeeded!
What do I mean by that title? Well, to be honest, I knew about this drama, much earlier than 2022 i.e. in 2021, I knew about this drama, however, because fans have been saying this drama is similar to Ashes of Love, is what really puts me off from starting LAR (Love and Redemption), because I saw that as a minus appeal, since I didn't like Ashes of Love, where the Female Lead, Male Lead and Main Pairing is concerned.If I am going to say something here, is that I am glad I picked up this drama, although late, but better late than never. I mean, it's always good to give a drama/story a benefit of the doubt before judging, and also since I felt like watching another Xianxia drama, and I am like "Why not? Since I was impatiently waiting for the episodes for 'The Blue Whisper'". And then when I started watching, you can say, I was hooked, and just want to continue watching it, and I have stayed up endless nights just to finish this!
The Male lead actor name is Cheng Yi is really a talented actor who really can express his emotions (especially those scenes where he expresses pain and his love) very well. He really made me cry in all those scenes, since he have successfully exceeded my expectations so I really love his acting. This is the second drama I saw him in, the first drama I saw him in was 'The Legend of Chusei - Noble Aspirations', he's the second male lead in that one. As the ML, this show has potentially propelled Cheng Yi to celestial popularity levels. His portrayal of the much adored character of Yu Si Feng through his seemingly innate ability to emote convincingly and project poignant scenes of excruciating torment while shedding tonnes of blood and tears has deservedly earned him legions of new fans, and you can bet that I am now a fan lol, so hooray, now I will be paying attention to his other dramas.
The Female lead being Yuan Bing Yan, I have never seen her act before, but as Xuan Ji (FL) she really played out her character well. She did played her character well, and while for a period of time I really didn't like her, for her lack of trust in Si Feng, and not believe the good in him, it really annoyed me, because given the situation was reverse, Si Feng will believe in the good in Xuan Ji. I also think this is the difference in their love i.e. Si Feng loves Xuan Ji (at the beginning) and is willing to give up everything/sacrifice his life for her, but Xuan Ji can be easily manipulated by 'what she sees' and not believe in the good in Si Feng, and this is why I think that even when she regain her six senses, she can't break the loveless curse placed on Si Feng. It is only when she lost Si Feng i.e. Si Feng left her is when she started to see how important Si Feng is to her, and how wrong she was to not trust in him etc, so that made her into a better character, i.e. character development, and her love for Si Feng had grown to the same level as Si Feng has for her. This is also why I think she was able to break the loveless curse. Honestly, I am so glad Si Feng didn't get back with her right away, because it allowed me to see how much Xuanji puts in to earn back Si Feng's love. Even when Si Feng had another reason why he kept his distance, but it's because of this, I get to see Xuanji putting in for this relationship, and while I still think that Xuanji didn't suffer as much as Si Feng when it comes to this relationship, but she really did redeemed herself for me, and earned back Si Feng's love and this relationship. I am just happy they are finally together again.
In terms of story itself is a powerful one, and the main pair have a powerful love/chemistry with each other. In 10 lives, 10 world's (the present time is their 10th life), and in every life(when the past is revealed) you can see how much the ML loves the female lead. I love their love and chemistry on my end. While people like to compare this to Ashes of Love, and while I can see those similarities BUT the FL in this one was so so so much better than Jin Mi (Ashes of Love), and the main pairing is actually true love to me, one that comes natural, and not forced, the way Ashes of Love is. I guess what AOL main pair FAILED to bring out for me in terms of making me like the 'pairing' and 'individual characters', this one (Love and Redemption) succeeded and have far surpasses Ashes of Love, in terms of characters on it's own and the pairing. The FL(Xuan Ji) is strong, and actually got strong in her own way (that development), and the pairing in this one (Love and Redemption) is much more genuine/natural touching(in a loveable way) when compared to the other fail one (AOL/Ashes of Love).
There's also quite a few interesting characters I really love, i.e. Teng She, Wu Zhi Qi, Liu Yi Huan etc, just to name a few that is not the male and female lead that are loveable too. So it's an enjoyable drama to me. I even love Luo Huo Ji Du, he's not evil to me, and I sympathise with his past and what happened to him. The one that is truly evil (irony) is.. PLOT TWIST Bai Ling Di Jun. Although I won't say evil as in evil, but he views all demons are evil, so I don't like him, although in the end, he got his retribution and he understood and learn he was wrong so that was satisfying, but throughout the drama, when I saw his actions, it really makes me punch him when he said he's doing this to protect the three realms when his actions contradicts it. But this really all stems from how he worries too much/have those insecurities, because he doesn't trust in demons... He's not an evil character that wants to destroy the 3 realms, I guess that's why it's conflicting to label him in the evil character list, I guess you can say he's more of a 'grey' character. But I don't like him, but to be honest, I really tried to like him and not want to hate him, but his actions some times really contradicts his "I am doing this to protect the three realms". And another plot twist, we finally have a wise and great Heavenly Emperor (Tian Di)!!! . He's a great character, and a wise ruler hahaha.
But yeah, like all Xianxia genres, there will be those people around to cause these misunderstandings for the main pair, so this is why the ending was happy and very satisfying as the good were paid for the good they did and the evil received retribution. While 59 episodes may seem long for some, it is definitely worth your time. In fact, you might even think that 59 episodes is far from enough, I actually felt that by the time I am nearing ep 59, I was like "Oh no... the last episode, I don't want it to end".
Music 10/10 - Love them all!!!
Rewatch Value: Definitely watching this again!!!
The last time I gave a drama 10/10 was TMOPB. I wanted to give Ancient Love Poetry 10/10 too since I love that drama very much, but the ending wasn't satisfying to me, so I have to say in terms of fully satisfying ending, Love and Redemption (LAR) tops Ancient Love Poetry even when I love both of the story and romance, and characters very much!
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This review may contain spoilers
A downward spiral
Honestly, this drama started out amazing, and maintained it's streak until the 40th odd episode. Then it was a downward spiral. I've read the reviews from other viewers and this is probably unpopular opinion, but to each their own.I understand that it was adapted from a novel, but the last twenty episodes were honestly a hot mess to me. That final debacle on that floating platform, deciding whether or not to overturn some giant floating teapot to destroy the three realms was just too sudden. Then there was the split personality gender-switcharoo period that just made things a little strange, an undying cockroach of a villain who gets killed like 3x but survives to push the teacup off, another villain who instantly realizes his guilt after the heavenly emperor points out a few semblent points that everyone else has been telling him since day 1. Then bam, suddenly everything is resolved.
Also, the ML was stabbed like a porcupine throughout the entire 59 eps and there is not a moment where he isn't putting himself between blades. Counting the 9 lifetimes his reincarnations went through, I'm pretty sure he was stabbed at least 20 times. It builds his character, but it also takes away the angst. With him getting stabbed every 5 episodes or so, you can more or less predict what's going to happen next.
That aside, I loved the interactions between the ML and the FL. All that fluff made the countless misunderstandings much less frustrating. The side characters all have depth as well, I was especially fond of Tengshe and Zihu, though I was much less invested in the side couple. The acting was not bad, the ML (Chengyi) really did quite well considering the amount of dying scenes he had.
Overall, will not rewatch and will recommend Ashes of Love over this. But if you have time to spare (59eps worth) and want to be emotionally invested into something, this drama would be a good choice.
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AMAZING ACTING
WONDERFULI am in love with their acting, they are all amazing but the FL is just... WOW, the personality that she played is totally opposite of each other. While watching this drama I had many mixed feels, I be angry sad and happy. This drama is just amazing, the leads the supports are just marvelous. we get both the cute and sad part. I LOVE THE OST.
THIS IS THE BEST DRAMA THIS YEAR FOR SURE
I know why people are saying they can't get over it, I take turns watching dramas and I just keep on thinking about this drama while watching the other dramas.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL but SAD
They so cute together and she so cute, I'm going to find some other dramas that they are in
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This review may contain spoilers
Great ML, Not a fan of FL, Plot started off strong, very weak in the middle, ended decently
I watched this drama because of all of the hyped that surrounded it among C-drama watchers- especially those who were fans of wuxia/xianxia like myself. The show fell short for me and I thought it was overhyped. I will highlight my opinions on negative aspects.I did not like the FL's (Crystal Yuan) acting. Early on she acted too much like a child (though people tried to defend this as child-like naivety) but it persisted for way longer than necessary. She wasn't very good at portraying emotion like her counter ML (tears, heartfelt moments). It seemed so fake and was very noticeable to me. People are raving that she's a powerful strong FL which is true but they could've written it better. She's the God of War but she's more powerful than any other deity in heaven? When she barely just discovered her powers? And her body is still mortal?
The sister, Linglong, also was not the best actor. She acted like an annoying child almost the entire show. People say she experienced trauma but it wasn't her that did it, it was the flower demon. I don't understand why she felt so hurt when it wasn't even her.
The ML, Cheng Yi, did an amazing job. His acting was really good. He was able to portray emotions very well. He seemed overpowered though, for being a demon and being stronger than some of the gods and being able to do things that seem like it was out of his scope when he couldn't do other stuff.
Liu Xue Yi also did a very good job with his character.
Props to the team for the BL between Tengshe and Qinglong and Bai Lin and LuoHuo Jidu.
The music was pretty good.
For me, pretty much episodes 15-50, were really really bad. I skipped a lot and was bored most of the time. It finally picked up again at the end. The ending also wasn't the best imo. People are happy that it was a happy ending. I was wondering tho like why did Luohuo Jidu also disappear when Bai Lin drank the wine? Overall it was ok. I would not rewatch but will now keep an eye on some of the male actors that I liked in this show.
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In love with Xuan Ji and Si Feng ❤
I'm loving this drama with a BIG capital L! A great story line, off the hook on-screen chemistry between Si Feng and Xuan Ji, and so far this drama is not draggy.Crystal Yuan as Xuan Ji is without a doubt the CUTEST beautiful girl I've ever seen in a Chinese period drama. There are some beautiful Chinese actresses out there but I think Crystal Yuan as Xuan Ji is not just another pretty face but her cuteness as Xuan Ji is what totally win me over! You should check this drama out to see what I'm talking about.
Cheng Yi plays Si Feng who is the "cool and distant" type but Cheng Yi is able to bring out Si Feng's warmth from the way he's looking at Xuan Ji, from his glances, and little smile. He looks cold but not arrogant. You can totally see it on his face how much he loves her.
Their superb on-screen chemistry is definitely what makes me loving Love and Redemption so much.
I can't wait to see the rest of this drama but as usual non Chinese viewers must wait longer for English subtitles.
(UPDATE: September 11th 2020)
Just finished watching this series and I must say this drama has the most satisfying ending I've ever seen in any Chinese period / fantasy drama. Bravo!!!
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a surprise xianxia!
I started this without knowing anything about it, had no clue who the actors were...and wow! easily became one of my top favs. it has all the elements of true love storyline, lots of sweet and romantic scenes of the main leads, and best of all, the CGI/action scenes were well done, nothing cringey or cheesy...! the overall arc was interesting, the pace of the series was perfect and the side characters were not wasteful/forgetful. the awesome OST was the cherry on top. i've rewatched this series 3 times now- it has been a long time since a series got me this addicted. i am a happy viewer.Was this review helpful to you?
