A delightful C Drama with some of the best written characters!
A Journey to Love hooked me from the start with its explosive first episodes, and while the pacing stumbled later, the characters more than made up for it.The Leads
Liu Shishi as Ren Ruyi is everything I want in a female lead: strong, compassionate, and smart enough to listen to advice without being stubborn. She’s fierce when she needs to be, kind when it matters, and she allows herself to fall in love without losing her edge.
Opposite her, Liu Yuning’s Ning Yuanzhou is the definition of a green flag. He’s respected because of what we see him do—both on the battlefield and in the way he treats people with kindness and respect. His relationship with Ruyi is steady, supportive, and so healthy it feels almost radical compared to your average drama romance.
The Love Story
Their romance is beautiful, but it does stagnate after a while. By episode 10 it’s clear they’re in love, yet the story keeps circling that point without pushing further. And while their kisses were sweet, they lacked passion—especially considering these are mature leads, not shy teenagers.
Brotherhood & Found Family
One of the highlights of the show is Yuanzhou’s brotherhood—Shisan, Sun Lang, Qian Zhao, and Yuan Lu. They feel like real siblings, complete with teasing, disagreements, and unwavering loyalty. The way they embraced Ruyi once they realized Yuanzhou liked her was heartwarming. Their group dynamic, combined with the travel adventure setup, created some of the best found-family vibes I’ve seen in a while.
Weak Spots
The middle episodes drag, slowing down the otherwise gripping story. The love triangle with Jiu also overstayed its welcome—Ruyi told him she didn’t reciprocate, yet he kept hovering.
And the biggest letdown for me? The deaths of Yuanzhou’s brothers. One by one, they’re all killed off, which felt unnecessary. Yes, Yuanzhou’s grief was heartbreaking, but wiping out the brotherhood robbed the show of its most endearing strength.
Final Take
Despite its flaws, A Journey to Love gave me characters I deeply cared about. Ruyi and Yuanzhou are one of my favorite drama couples in years, their bond built on trust and respect. The found-family theme is rich and memorable. If only the pacing had been tighter and the ending less cruel to the brotherhood, this would have been near-perfect.
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finally romance with selfsufficient female + good wuxia
__*A Journey to Love (2023)*__ - 9/10 -cdramaits same like with One and Only ... I loved it enough for 9,5/10 but cause quite tragic ending I wont dare to rewatch it in near future.
Ending is kinda very alike to One and Only at least by hurtful feelings it lefts.
This drama is 7 brave or 47 ronin type of drama with main characters having each quite interesting personality which can grow through whole drama. And mainly cause this quality you will feel sadness once you see die some of main characters.
By end of drama I had some kinda dejavu feeling and could predict what will happen in next eps. Still this drama took me on ride and I had to binge it.
Overall for me its one of best historical tragic wuxia cdramas. Of course its mainly caused thanks alot of romance storylines through whole drama.
plot is long and change through 40eps. I will just summarise beginning.
__*plot*__ - two kingdoms fought for gold mine and WU country emperor was taken hostage. [ML] as former master of WU spy agency was send to protect princess[pretending to be prince] to enemy AN country buy emperors freedom back. Possible successors of WU emperor dont want WU emperor to get back and they will make problems for whole delegation. Former AN country top assassin[FL] joins to delegation to help ML in exchange for his help with her revenge towards AN country.
__*genre*__- wuxia, romance, politics, tragedy
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Brilliant
Be prepared to fall in love with the characters, their development is so well handled and their acting is on point.Everything in this drama screams acting masterclass.
I was pulled into their court intrigues and felt deeply about our main couple who are world weary and have been betrayed by the very people they admire and have vowed to protect. Their relationship is a constant, the chemistry and respect is palpable.
Ruyi is one of the strongest female leads I have encountered. She is proud, fierce incredibly talented, flirtatious, outrageous and admirable.
The young naive princess Yang Ying is a hidden gem. Her emergence from terrified female out of her depth in dangerous situations to a person who weighs up the difficulties and makes informed choices is terrific to watch.
There are lots of bad/evil characters but one of the most interesting is Ruyi's disciple, Li Tongguang, his plotting and machinations make him an easy fall guy target and his obsessive stalker behaviour to his shifu creates lots of opportunities for conflict.
If you come on this journey and hold out to climactic last episodes you will probably need several boxes of tissues. For me the most heart rending is watching the youngest member of the delegation. Yuan Lu, who despite his heart issues pushes his body to exhaustion delivering the vitally important message requesting military back up for his brother. Then there is Shisan, known as a playboy and lover of all things beautiful in life, making sure the woman he loves is safe before making a final heroic stand fending off the enemies.
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MUST WATCH DRAMA
MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE.. Every actor lived their character .. kudos to every actor and actress... Thank You for creating such "MASTERPIECE".... Direction, production, character elevation, pacing, romance, brotherhood and ending everything was perfect. "MUST WATCH".I must say, FL and ML did wonderful job but there are other actors who increased my interest in this drama i.e, Alan Fang( played Yu shisan), He Lan Dou (played princess yang ying), and Amy Chen she's as beautiful as always.
After watching this drama Liu shi shi(Female Lead) will be my all time female actress for dominating FL roles. Her each character elevations in the drama gave me goosebumps every time.
If you guys want to go through a wonderful journey and experience the best brotherhood, friendship, loyalty and sacrifice, then don't think and just watch it.
I promise that you won't skip a second of this.
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This review may contain spoilers
A good kind of different
I don’t think I’ve watched a drama which ending I am sad about but at the same time satisfied with. This is the kind of drama that would spend most of the time building relationships, giving the kind of interactions you are looking for and watching the characters grow, so much that towards the ending, you can’t imagine a different kind of ending than the one they did in the drama.There are so many parts to the drama which I absolutely love. Each character has their time to shine and you could see how the character grow and change throughout the drama. They may seem insignificant in the beginning but as you progress towards the end of the drama, you can’t help but see the importance of their roles. Just losing one of them would change the tone and it wouldn’t be the same. The plot is so connected to each other, it is actually a journey.
It’s not just about romance. It’s a mixture of sacrifice, comradeship and love for the country. This group of soldiers (or spies) were betrayed by their emperor but because of their trust towards their leader and the love they have for their country, they are willing to put aside that hatred and sacrifice their lives to protect the people in their country. They are a group of people who puts their country and their comradeship before anything else. As much as they dream of living a peaceful life, they knew nothing else but the chaos they lived in. It’s their calling and they recognised it. The final few episodes were the most painful parts but I do think each of this character had lived the kind of lives that fit their characters and also died for the most noble reasons. I guess they all have found their peace in the end. In a way, it’s probably the only way they could find peace in the kind of environment the country was in. Their sacrifices made a huge difference to winning the battle but there would be more battles to come and they could never truly retire even if they had survived.
This is truly one of a kind and I really think the way the drama had progressed was very meaningful and fitting. Definitely worth watching.
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A journey to love yourself.
This series is one of the last to come out this year, and I didn't expect to be hit with such a captivating story only a few weeks before the new year, iQiyi jealously guarded this gem. The story itself is rather simple about two assassins, Ren Ruyi and Ning Yuan Zhou from two warring and enemy countries, Wu and An. Of course, it wouldn't be exciting if the two didn't fall for each other.The premise begins when in a bloody battle, the Wu state loses and the Emperor is taken prisoner to the state of An.
Yuan Zhou is the former leader of the Six Dao Hall, an assassin organization, who found himself accompanying Emperor Wu during this battle and one of the only ones to survive. Long story short, he is later pressured to accompany the delegation, with the Princess Yang Ying trapped by the Empress schemes into cross-dressing as a prince, and save the Emperor. At his side are other assassins who accompany him in his task, of course the audience is led to discover each character and fall under their charms.
As for Ren Ruyi, she is a former assassin of the Scarlet Guards who had to re-infiltrate the ranks of the organization to find the murderer of the Empress of An who was like a mother to her. Due to lack of luck, she finds herself having to abandon her scheme due to circumstances that will be detailed in the series, and she cross paths with Yuan Zhou while she tries to hide. Yuan Zhou agrees to host her and eventually, through other circumstances, she accompanies the delegation to enter the state.
I won't reveal more about the story, but I will touch on a word about how their love story was. First, it doesn't seem forced, then, refreshingly, it's Ruyi who runs after Yuan Zhou, who from a charismatic leader becomes timid in the face of these attempts. The two quickly learn to understand each other due to their unique position and much is conveyed emotionally through their gestures and facial expressions. It's mature and above all healthy.
Ruyi is probably the most badass female character I've seen, they didn't try to build her reputation too much, and on the contrary let her skills do the talking to later reveal that Ruyi is in fact a legendary assassin. Yuan Zhou is equally impressive, especially his wits and adept at playing mind games with his enemies. They are a power couple in all their glory and it is a pleasure to follow them.
The pacing of the story is really good, we don't dwell endlessly on misunderstandings, it's generally resolved within one episode and we stay focused on the main story. The secondary characters are just as interesting and often touching, they all have a story that is revealed. The overall production is really good and also the fighting scene, nothing on the level of "My Journey To You" (a series released this year whose cinematography is breathtaking) but really pleasant to see.
I have mixed feelings about the ending and the last episodes though, I think the writing could have been better and it's a let down by the writers.
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One of the best in 2023
Drama started very solid, good paced, good script... It's very rare CDrama to have so many characters written properly. I love the development of the characters, especially the growth of little naive princess, so so good, the actress also very good. I also love Alen Fang's character, I think this is his best performance to date. FL is also very good, stay true to it's character although out the series, (unlike every other ones that turned into a confused little damsel once the romance started, I really hate those). But it's still not as good as I hoped. I'm a very disappointed on the progress of the last 8 episodes, the drama kind of lost it's pace. Instead focusing to built a climax to the story, it felt like they're lost. I mean, couples that happily joked and tease each other and being lovey dovey in the midst of impending invasion/war, without a care, not even mourning the death their love ones , really?? Another ridiculous scene is when ML able to forged a new sword in a blink of an eye, what magic did he use 😞Was this review helpful to you?
Li Tong Guang
To me, he has become quite interesting. Being Ren Xin's only disciple and teetering between boyhood and becoming a man, his acting is superb and spot on. I don't have to mention the main cast because we all think they are excellent. I really feel Li Tong's despair and I have teared up almost every time he has. Obsessive love has to be a difficult emotion to manage. Great job! This drama has gotten better with almost every episode. I still have 26 episodes to go and I hope it stays on the same feel all the way through.Was this review helpful to you?
Identity reveal
Supererb assassin and team oriented group. The story is indeed great that you keep on waiting for next eps everyday. Each of them carries their own task but they work as a team. The cast/ writer/director/producers are good and they support each other. Hopefully the drama continues to give us great storyline. I'm so excited for the next eps and next fighting scene because it's really awesome to watch wuxia' making move. And, I hope the princess will learn something and grow more throughout their journey not for her mission but for the Team. Hoping to see growth to each members. Goodluck!Was this review helpful to you?
Perfect for people who like the traditional way of fighting
This is one of the best series of 2023. If you like the sword fighting and martial arts you would love this drama. If you are someone who is attracted by someone's intelligence then u would love the characters also. The plot and twists are just worth the watch! You would not get bored if you rewatch it. Each character played by them portray a different feeling and emotion.This is one of the best series of 2023. If you like the sword fighting and martial arts you would love this drama. If you are someone who is attracted by someone's intelligence then u would love the characters also. The plot and twists are just worth the watch! You would not get bored if you rewatch it. Each character played by them portray a different feeling and emotion.
This is one of the best series of 2023. If you like the sword fighting and martial arts you would love this drama. If you are someone who is attracted by someone's intelligence then u would love the characters also. The plot and twists are just worth the watch! You would not get bored if you rewatch it. Each character played by them portray a different feeling and emotion.
This is one of the best series of 2023. If you like the sword fighting and martial arts you would love this drama. If you are someone who is attracted by someone's intelligence then u would love the characters also. The plot and twists are just worth the watch! You would not get bored if you rewatch it. Each character played by them portray a different feeling and emotion.
This is one of the best series of 2023. If you like the sword fighting and martial arts you would love this drama. If you are someone who is attracted by someone's intelligence then u would love the characters also. The plot and twists are just worth the watch! You would not get bored if you rewatch it. Each character played by them portray a different feeling and emotion.
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Best Costume Drama of 2023
Things to like- As an original piece there's no spoilers, or petty arguments as to whether it's true to the original, the plot line is well paced and the character development sound.
- Liu ShiShi has improved so much, thought it might just be rose tinted specs so actually re-watched brotherhood of blades and yup definitely a better actress than she was!
- The fight scenes, OK non of them are Jet Li but the fight choreographer did a stellar job translating the character's role into their fighting style, e.g. Ren Ru Yi is an assassin so she goes for precise cuts and slashes to the throat/head, thought has gone into this and makes it more immersive.
- No padding, so many dramas today are filled with silly flashbacks and musical interludes, so far the musical segments are there to help convey a scene's emotion and the flashbacks are part of the story rather than just re-editing old scenes to stretch things out. In fact there are so many details on screen and in dialog went back and re-watched the whole thing whilst waiting for episodes 19 and 20.
- Liu Yuning's commitment, he's not the best actor in the world by a long shot but you can see the effort he's put into this production, it's not like he's phoning it in (looking at you Ren Jia Lun!), don't really get the hate he's receiving. Shisan is the pretty boy in this drama and LYN's character is the leader of the hell path of a paramilitary organisation what do people expect some one like that to look like? if anything Liu ShiShi is way too pretty to play a crimson guard left envoy (that is until you see the fight scenes then it all becomes believable again!)
- Cinematography, its a 40 episode web/TV production rather than a movie so the budget only goes so far but a few green screen scenes aside it looks good.
Things I didn't like
- The silly sound effects acompanying the comedic moments
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This review may contain spoilers
so pissed off
All of the main characters died. Tell me how is that a show. The show was great until the last five episodes! I was really pissed when all the main characters started to get killed off like some kind of cult. also where is the child she tried so hard to have it’s so annoying. They get war and death but no baby and happy ending. I get it’s an aspect of reality and blah blah. But for someone that loves happy ending I was angry. If your into realistic well her coming back to life is stupid she dies like three times. Die and stop getting me hopes up! as a romcomer I really want to beat these writers up. I am so hurt because it took Andrew days to watch this. I’m not totally dissapointed. The acting, scenery and music was great!Was this review helpful to you?
