Best xianxia drama of 2020
Amazing drama! The best drama I've seen thus far in 2020 and also one of the best dramas I've seen in my entire life <3I loved how the romance was delivered, it was very pure and innocent and it slowly became more serious throughout the series. IT ENDED V HAPPILY, I was so happy so for them :) I feel like the drama captured the feeling of first love and the purity of it in the beginning. In the middle, it got more serious and more drama, and in the end it went to being lively and happy again. I am not very good in my words but I just absolutely loved the way the romantic scenes were carried out.
The plot was amazing, I was hooked from the 1st episode. It was pretty fast-paced from the beginning THANK GOODNESS. (I really dislike slow-moving plots. ) This is the first xianxia that I never pressed the skip button, it was just every moment was interesting although there were quite a number of angsty parts. I would recommend not binge-watching the entire series but watching it slowly and taking everything in so you would enjoy it more and not be so worked up over the angsty portions and start skipping because when everything is settled and explained, you will feel so satisfied. Really in love with Chengyi and Yuan Bingyan's acting and their chemistry. Sifeng was just the best, after watching this show, my expectations just flew through the roof. I need someone who will not just love me in this one life but love me unconditionally for 10 lives. Jokes, but seriously you will fall in love with Sifeng.
The OST is also fantastic. I listen to them every single day without fail, so meaningful and beautiful. My favourite is 步崖, it is played when Sifeng 'falls in love' again with Xuanji and is damn cute.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO WATCH THIS DRAMA :) I would probably rewatch it next month again.
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So the story is about the Juan Xi was born without her six senses and has no understanding of feelings, During a tourament she meets Si Feng a member of a rival set. The two becomes friends along with her sister and sixth brother. In reality Si Feng has been with her through 1000 years and 9 lives. I won't go into details, cause spoilers can be found elsewhere,
For my review, when the show started Juan Xi was clueless and I thought oh no Ashes of Love all over again. I am not a fan of Ashes of Love and this was clueless FL with a ML that basically gets abused the whole time. Luckily that did not last too long. The FL as she regained her senses actually was fairly faithful to the ML, and there was no real "triangle" to speak of. it was more the ML doing what he could to protect the FL and she being confused but really still defending him. There were some slower parts but in all the story was well written and moved along, and there were some twists in the end that I was not really expecting. The bad people (and there are 3 of them) were well written and acted. You really understand why 2 of them did the things they did even though they were evil, and the big bad person was really not bad.
The acting was great. While Xuan JI was sort of the simple, annoying female in the beginning but the depth the actress she showed as she got her six senses back and eventually got her memories of the God of War was really amazing. Si Feng was fantastic as well. You felt everything he felt, although his character had less growth than Xuan Ji his acting was amazing. The supporting cast was great from the villains, gods, demons, "righteous" sect leaders. Ling Long, the sister was probably the weakest in the cast. My personal favorites where Lord Flying Snake, Fox Spirit, and Wu Zhi Qi. The three of them were great.
Music was some of the best I have heard in a long time and I listen to the OST all the time.
As for rewatch, it is long and has slow parts even with the main characters. For TMOPB I rewatch cause I fast forward through the storyline not with main leads, but in this case most of the story is focused on the main leads, which makes this good but rewatching 59 episodes is a lot.
Overall, the drama is outstanding mainly because of the ML and FL leads and their acting along with a very string supporting cast. The "good" people are really not good, and the "bad" people are really not bad. For anyone that did not like Ashes of Love, I highly recommend this once you get past the first episodes it is far more interesting and worth the watch.
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I was pretty convinced I won't like it. Now I'm a fan.
Love and Redemption shouldn't have worked with me. It had many flaws. Some were laughably bad. Like, could someone in the production team get better props for dismembered limbs, for example? And the War God's armour was atrocious; Crystal Yuan looked as if she wore something far too big for her. They made a really good one for Rahu Ketu — so I know they were capable of making nice-looking armour, so I'm not sure what went wrong there.The camerawork could also have been better. The colours appear washed out at times.
And while the ending was wonderfully happy, it was also rushed and done in such a slip-shod way that you can't help but go, "Wait, that's it?"
Most of the villains were also one-dimensional, existing to only make lives difficult for our couple.
The acting of the cast ranged from really good (Cheng Yi and Liu Xueyi) to really bad (Si Feng's dad — he was cringeworthy). I found Crystal Yuan okay and not as bad as some people make her out to be, and she was rather good as the War God, but she wasn't as good as I'd like her to be.
And then there's the clumsy way information is conveyed at times. For example, I call Yihuan the "info dump man" because he's either there to explain to other characters what really happened, or to voice the frustration of the audience.
Okay, now that all the bad stuff is out of the way, I can declare that despite the flaws, I still really love the show because it managed to make me feel all the feels. I bought this world, and I bought Si Feng and Xuanji's love.
One of the criticisms lobbed at Si Feng is that he's too much of a martyr. I think this is because we are not given enough background on Si Feng's motivation or his origin with Xuanji.
Another factor that elevated this drama for me is Si Feng and Xuanji's friends: Ling Long, Mingyan, Teng She and Wu Zhi all add color to the plot. They never felt like unnecessary additions but vital parts of the plot. I love how they take care of each other, especially toward the end when Si Feng really needed it. And their stories were quite interesting too — I was invested enough to care what happens to each of them.
So, is Love and Redemption worth your time?
I guess it depends. This is a polarising drama. Some loved it. Some wondered what people who liked it were smoking.
For me, it is a combination of factors: Cheng Yi's good acting and charisma, the fun side characters, the theme of brotherhood and loyalty, and most of all, forgiveness and letting go of grudges: redemption.
I was able to ignore the flaws and simply enjoy the story.
You may not be able to, and that's fine.
I'd say go in with an open mind; let yourself be swept away by the story. You could be surprised where you end up.
Final rating: 8.5
PS: I kept a watch log where I recorded my thoughts on the episodes. You can read it here: https://shorturl.at/bjqG1
I record my thoughts on Kdramas and CDramas at the blog: https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/
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Rollercoaster Ride
To preface my review, I technically finished the series, but due to reasons later stated, I pressed skip many many times. Therefore, I watched "all" 59 episodes under 48 hours.Story: I enjoyed how there was a distinct reason for every action and choice; so the characters were well developed and not there weren't any overly cliche characters. Even the villains weren't just pure evil, they had their own past that influenced them to become a villain. The main reason I gave the drama a 9.0 storywise was because of all the misunderstandings I had to watch. As a viewer, I would rather misunderstand certain characters, instead of knowing everything while vividly watching the main lead be in the dark. Also, the misunderstandings were so easily spotted that I question if the writers had any other plan to induce character change. Because of this reason, I often found myself skipping to parts where the main leads reconciled. However, the story itself was interesting and each scene was vital to the story's development. Many historical dramas are only watchable when the main leads are involved, but the side characters in this drama were multifaceted and were just as worthwhile for the viewer's time.
Acting/Cast: I think the actors truly grasped the complexity of each character and represented their ideas and worldview without being overly fake. The male lead's actor was a perfect choice for his role; without being too dramatic, his every smile, gaze, and blood spit was masterfully placed to tug at the viewer's heart. His dedication and trust in the female lead were unmatched. The female lead's actress had to play a more difficult character who often experienced major changes. I applaud how she displayed the female lead's dynamic journey while also staying true to her most basic self.
Music: Usually, I watch dramas and their ost does not stick out. In "Love and Redemption," the music often indicated major battle moves, which I think was an interesting choice. Instead of a full ost with all ballads, there were different genres to complement the dynamic plotline. After finishing the drama, my first action was to go on Spotify and listen to the ost while writing this review.
Rewatch Value: I have never fully rewatched a drama because I don't see a point when I already know what will happen next. That said, I judged this category based on how likely it would be for me to fan compilations of the main leads' love story. I am completely hooked on their moments together, for they did not only experience pain after pain, but there were actually scenes where they were joking around and being lighthearted.
Overall, I think this drama was well produced. The fight scenes were especially gorgeous and engaging. For viewers who can withstand the heavy, dramatic moments, I recommend this. If you enjoyed "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms," this just might be your cup of tea.
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After 20 episode the story went well.
To begin with ,the acting of male lead actor was excellent ,amazing ,fantastic ,totally involved in his acting ,it seemed like actually it all those things were happening with him. In addition story had happy ending and last was good . But story went well after 20th episodes before this story was boring . But believe me it was not time wasting story . Give a try to story.Graphics were good .Second leads story were also good and happy to saw the happy ending of fox and monkey . I like female lead also she also good but male is best in his acting . Their love story was good and their pairing also.
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A love so beautiful
Love and redemption holds a special place in my heart. This drama has the love that is so pure and unconditional and I've never seen anything like this before. I was in awe of the whole story and acting and the ost was really good. I've watched it countless times and find it endearing each time. In this drama I felt the love between the main characters so natural and their chemistry was sizzling. The only thing that I wanted to know was the back story of xuenji and sifeng when they were god of war and xi xuan. I wanted to know the beginning of their love and the reason sifeng would go through so much for his lover. I bet it would have been beautiful to see the love budding and blooming between these two which led to this epic love story.Was this review helpful to you?
YU SI FENG is the best male lead I've ever watched
Love and Redemption is my all time favorite drama now. You won't want to miss out on this masterpiece. It's not even 3 lives, but it's 10 lives we're talking about here. Nothing can beat that!! :) It's like a rollercoaster ride. There are the peaceful nice moments, and then there are the totally angsty stuff. But it's the best ride I've taken!My favorite character from Love and Redemption is: Shy Si Feng, Stuttering Si Feng, Flirtatious Si Feng, Jealous Si Feng, Sweet Si Feng, Sacrificial Si Feng, Masked Si Feng, Blood Spitting Si Feng, Hot and Sexy Si Feng, Angry Si Feng. I love them all. :) Xuan Ji is a very nice girl also. I approve of her for Si Feng.
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A must see great beginning and ending
10+10+10+ What an amazing drama it was full of ever emotion you could think of. Itwas full of betrayal, jealousy, hated, Sad, happy and loving, mortal, immortal. It about the love between a demon and mortal. show that not everyone is created equal,but thru work they can be friends. Due to some circumstances even the best of good people can become evil. In this drama it's about mortal and immortal and the power heaven. Then comes the demon. Sec that was created out of all people who failed heaven tribulation. There are 5 different sec. Each one has it own secret from the past 1000yrs. It's about the God of War aka xuan ji and si feng(prince xixuan of heaven) the golden red wing a demon. They meet by chance and in his Dec you can't have any outside relationship esp. Women so they where mask to cover there faces. Well since xuan ji has no sences she is clueless in life. So she keeps going after si feng and then he gets hurt and she removes his mask in which he is sent for punishment and she is sent to cultivation. 4yrs go bye and they meet again, but due to misunderstanding they start having problems, but it caused by her friendBai Lin. Then she learns she is the God of War when someone hurt sifeng or her family. Then there fighting between 5 sec. Then it's there journey finding out who they are and fighting for good. So much more. A must see. There were some espisode in the beginning I thought were boring, but realize that they are important. Worth it
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This review may contain spoilers
Gosh I'm so late
I actually really liked this drama in the beginning. I didn't mind the childish FL because she has a reason for being like that. But then it started getting draggy and I just completely lost interest.Let's talk about the good things first, the acting. Cheng Yi did a brilliant job portraying Si Feng and is very good at emotional scene especially ones that include crying. I really like Liu Xue Yi in this too, although I wouldn't say his acting is at Cheng Yi's level but he still did pretty good and I especially loved his character. I actually really liked the villains in the show which are him, Yuan Lang and Wu Tong, I was basically rooting for them to defeat the main characters.
The costumes and sets were pretty nice as well, I thought Yuan Bing Yan looked really pretty in the beginning but apparently a lot of people disliked it. The CGI although not as great as Ashes of Love was still decent and acceptable. Si Feng's fighting scenes in the beginning was really impressive.
The songs were amazing, I loved the title song sung bu Liu Yu Ning.
Now on to the not so great parts.....
Firstly, who edited this drama? Because holy shit, there are so many random cuts that are so frustrating. One of them being at the beginning where a girl fell into a pool or something. (I think it's the FL but because of the editing you can barely see her face) That scene was so quick that you can't even tell what's happening.
Next, the awful misunderstandings. The ML basically had so self love and I find it really baffling that someone can actually be like that. Xuan Ji has shown time and time again that she had no trust in him, I mean she literally stabbed him but he still stayed by her side. There were so many easily solved misunderstanding, Si Feng could have told Xuan Ji his plan to pretend to be Mosha Star and that they could have worked together to solve it but no. I really dislike the trope of purposely being bad to protect someone, talk about your problems and communicate please. But I mean, with proper communications, 99% of the drama wouldn't be a thing.
Next up would be the repetitive scenes, you basically had to watch the ML can beat up, tortured and vomit blood for 40 episodes. He literally spat out blood when he was beaten from the back, which doesn't make sense whatsoever. It was boring ok, I cried in the beginning but then bursted out laughing when I saw it for the 15th time.
Annoying characters, Ling Long and Xiao Yin Hua
When Xuan Ji said she "likes" the 6th disciple Min Yan, who Ling Long also had a crush on she got mad at him somehow. Why? I don't know, maybe projecting her own insecurities? She also very stupidly went and fought Wu Tong herself when knowing she cannot defeat him. Xuan Ji who is the god of war is literally your sister, what are you doing???
Then Xiao Yin Hua, who doesn't get signals thrown at her. Liking someone and in her case Si Feng is fine. But it becomes a problem when purposely third wheeling yourself trying to break him and Xuan Ji apart. She knows very well that Si Feng loves Xuan Ji but still thinks she has a chance. Si Feng has never shown a liking to her and even after he rejected her, she still went for it and died in the end. Was it worth it?
Xuan Ji's selfishness also really bothered me. She didn't care that billions of people would have died because of her opening to bottle that contained Mosha Star to save Si Feng. He himself told her not to do it but she didn't listen. I know that didn't end up happening no one died but I still dislike her after this.
I still find drama more or less okay, it's definitely better than Ashes of Love I can tell you that but would I recommend it to someone? Probably not.
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This review may contain spoilers
tried so hard to like it but failed in the end
I watched this drama based on recommendations from youtube and the reviews here. Unfortunately, I lost interest after a few episodes, went to watch other drama and came back to continue to watch this where I left off but got bored again and repeat the same cycle until I forced myself to watch it to give it another chance. The pace is so slow and many fillers. There are also so many side stories to fill the long episodes.I got so annoyed with the female lead character (XuanJi)with her acting. When she played the naïve girl without 6 senses, her acting is not convincing and came out as overacting to portray being dumb and stupid but actually came out as aggressive. There are so many scenes (cringy) where she is forcing herself (or her friendship) to ML (SiFeng) so aggressively, following him around and not letting him go (yet trying to portray that she is innocent without feeling anything for him as she is supposed to be heartless and can't feel love or pain). SiFeng is trying his best to avoid her and yet she kept following him around (even at this stage, she doesn't have the capability to love/pain yet, hasn't recovered her 6 senses) Even after she gained her senses, she is still blinded and so stubborn when everyone is telling her to honor her sects/clans and abolish evil.
SiFeng - his acting as cold and emotionless character in the beginning is good and convincing. He has a stone face look most of the time and only shows some emotions during the lovey dovey (romantic) scenes. I liked him better at "Noble Aspirations I and II".
BAi Shu (Lord Flying snake) - I like his character and acting the most. Bai Shu's role is interesting, funny and keeps you awake ( I honestly felt asleep many time watching the show).
Hao Chen's role as the king of heaven is also very good (calm, self confident, authoritative and commanding respect). His care for XuanJi is very convincing as well.
I will not rewatch this drama. It did not keep my attention.
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What an easily manipulated FL! So dissapointing to watch
The drama started at good pace with attractive story to begin with, good choreography, effect, cinematography, it seemed promising. The acting was good not only for the main cast but also for the supporting.But as it progressed, the story especially the FL regressed!!! A happy ending is a trully must for me to give good rating. But somehow with this drama i was wishing for tragic sad ending. The FL is so easily manipulated and she believed everyone around her except the ML who is giving all he got for her.
Up tp episode 50 this is so annoying to watch.
Her character is so weak and because of she alone hence the rating. Music was not memorable.
Was almost a waste to watch, thank you to the fwd button makes it bearable.
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Best Drama To Watch For 2020
Love and Redemption is one of the best drama I have seen in years. I have seen Ashes of Love, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and others. Cheng Yi is one of the best ML actors I have seen. He really made me believe that he is Yu SiFeng. This drama is a must watch for anyone that love romance drama. I have personally re-watch this twice already and I cannot get enough of this drama. Every episode is not a drag at all. The script are really well written. I would not mind having 80 episodes and a season 2 too.Love and Redemption is truly a one of a kind drama. All the Actors/Actresses did an awesome job. The drama looks so real. The drama was beautifully composed, and the ending result of the directors, actors and others' hard work is a drama that will make you laugh and cry and wanting to re-watch over and over. This is the kind of the drama that can be enjoy over and over years to come. I highly this drama and if I can rate this a 100 I would.
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