A Journey to Love

A Journey to Hardships : Love For A Greater Cause

The conclusions of the drama :
1. For all deceased characters during war: Since the drama is during wartime, it's something we often seen for imperial family along with soldiers and able-in-fighting masters to protect the country at all cost.
2. For Yang Ying and Li Tongguang: Since it's also about war and politic, it's nature seeing a princess marrying into another country as part of alliance and such. So, even they don't really love each other, at least they share the same goal, same morality and know how to respect each other.
3. In short, this drama no one got 100% happy ending what they really want. Your love died, you live alone (Chu Yue), Your love died, you marry another because of "greater cause" (Yang Ying, Li Tongguang), Your love died, you also died (Ruyi and Ning Yuanzhou), You love alive, but you cannot be together (Xiaoyan and Danyang).

This is a summary of the characters:

1. Ren Ruyi
Started as an elite special agent (Vermillion Guards) of AN country, betrayed by the emperor and decided to revenge. In her way to seek justice and revenge, she met Ning Yuanzhou and found out that AN emperor colluded with enemy and caused deaths to civilians. Finally the emperor was overthrowned and replaced by regent Li Tongguang, her student. Herself died (sacrifice herself) in mission after killing enemy's commander.

2. Ning Yuanzhou
After reinstated as the leader of Six Realms (also an elite special agent) of WU country, he got a task to escort a prince to rival country AN to exchange prisoner with gold. Together with Ruyi they embark the journey, later found out the AN emperor is such a garbage, they overthrowned him. Then big war happened and he died after saving Ruyi's student Li Tongguang.

3. Yang Ying
A WU princess dressed as a prince to bring ransom to pick his captured brother in AN country. Started as a weakling, grown up as a strong-willed princess under tutleage of Ruyi and Yuanzhou. Using her background as Wu princess, she proposed Li Tongguang and offered him a support from Wu kingdom (military reinforcements) to strengthen Li Tongguang new position in the court as regent (after the emperor been overthrowned).

4. Li Tongguang
Son of AN grand princess with a slave father, his mom didnt want to see him, later adopted by empress dowager and taught by Ruyi. He considered Ruyi as his only love of life, since no one ever been so close to him. Thou he is addicted to Ruyi, still he loves his people and wants to get rid of enemy. During wartime, political turbulences, and seeing so many deaths, he finally let go his unmatured love, agreed marrying Wu princess and do his best as a regent to bring peace in WU country.

5. Yu Shisan
Best friend of Ning Yuanzhou, a womanizer. Later really fell in love with Chu Yue and died in war protecting the city.

6. Yuan Lu
Yuanzhou's friend that guard the Ning mansion, also childhood acquitence of Yang Ying, only to confess his love before his death.

7. Qianzhao, Sun Lang
Two other friends of Ning Yuanzhou

8. Chu Yue
Princess of Shaxi tribe, initially engaged to Li Tongguang, later fell for Shisan, lost her all family members duirng war, then becomes the solely leader of the tribe, considered lived single until her death.

9. Xiaoyan
Empress of WU that her husband being captured by WU kingdom and later killed in war. She wanted to be empress dowager but postponed this idea, let her brother in law became emperor during critical situation of war.

10. Dan Yang
Dan Yang becomes emperor after his brother died, and then he leads troops to help AN country.
Note: enemy invaders actually only attack AN country, but WU cannot stand seeing so many cities being overtaken by enemy and civilians died. So, they join the war, convinced the ministers and court, "for civilians safety", also since the princess already married into AN kingdom and the two countries is now has an marriage alliance.

... Basically its okay if most characters died in this drama, its just eps 1-30+ full of laughters, then started to be dark and finally wipe out entired squad. It's just like you've been given candies and sweets and later forced to drink pest poisons.

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very good

This is definitely the best C-drama I’ve watched with this type of main couple. The female lead is amazing I think it’ll be hard for me to find another one as good as her. At no point do you get that feeling that the male lead takes over the action scenes.

The supporting characters were all very good of course, some stood out more than others, while some were more low-key. Throughout the story, a few slightly annoying characters show up, but thankfully they don’t take over the plot to the point of becoming unbearable. For example, Li Tong Guang [Ren Xin’s disciple] — he was definitely the most annoying and irritating.

The acting overall was really good, and there are plenty of action scenes, just the way I like it. The villains appear gradually as the story progresses. I think the only thing that could’ve been better is the number of episodes 40 felt unnecessary, and of course there are always some filler scenes.

Surprisingly, I was actually convinced by the whole 'girl dressed as a guy' thing in this one. The ending is kind of open, but I like that I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I did find the whole 'dies and comes back to life' thing in the last episodes a bit over the top and unnecessary, but overall, the result was great I really liked it.

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An Unforgettable Journey of Life, Love, Revenge, and Duty.

🍁THE PLOT:

The plot is basically the political intrigue between the two states: the State of Wu and the State of An...

There was a fierce battle between the two states, the Wu state was defeated by the An state, and Emperor Wu was taken hostage in An. Due to Emperor Wu's stupidity and arrogance, Wu was badly defeated... The An demanded ransom of 1,000,000 gold tales to be delivered by a Prince of Wu as envoy to release the Emperor Wu unscathed...
Both the states have their powerful spy/detective agencies.. the Wu's Six Realm Hall and the An's Scarlet Gaurds..

• Six Realm Hall consists of six paths and also skilled in Martial Arts:
1. Heaven Path: in-charge of royal security.
2. Human Path: monitors all the officials.
3. Asura Path: does work on prostitution to collect intel.
4. Hungry Ghost Path: good at making traps.
5. Animal Path: specializes in spying.
6. Hell Path: famous for assassination, resourcefulness and intel.

• Brief discription of positions in Scarlet Guards:
1. The Chief
2. Left and Right Envoy
3. Red Emissary
4. Purple Emissary
5. White Sparrow

Ren Ru Yi, the infamous former Left Envoy of Scarlet Gaurds 'Ren Xin' who faked her own death to escape from the bloody organisation and execution punishment decreed by Emperor An, due to a false accusation... Ren Xin was renowned as the best assassin of the world who never missed her target.. Ru Yi rejoined the Scarlet Guards as White Sparrow to seek revenge for her fallen friends and benefactors, but to avoid detection, she fled to Wu state and became a member of Wu State's escort delegation..

Ning Yuanzhou, the member of Hell Path of the Six Realm Hall, renowned for his excellent martial arts, intelligence and remarkable spying abilities... He was the part of calvary sent to battle with Emperor. After surviving the battle, he wanted to live a carefree life, so faked his own death, but could not succeed and was summoned back to become the Chief of Six Hall Realm with the mission of rescuing the Emperor Wu. He wasn't intended to accept the offer but to clear the name of his comrades (who were accused to betray the Emperor in war), he accepted it as the last task..

The escort delegation is dispatched from the Wu capital with ransom money and a Prince, who actually is a Princess, named Yang Ying, and very close to Ning Yuanzhou. Yuanzhou appointed as chief member of State's escort delegation together with Yu Shi San, Qing Zhao, Yuan Lu, Sun Lang and Ren Ru Yi.
The story is actually about their experience together, throughout the journey of saving the Emperor and innocent people from war to make peace in the world...

The plot is very interesting and captivating, there are no boring episode and paced well..


🍁INTRODUCTION TO MAIN CHARACTERS:

🌿Ren Ru Yi (Liu Shi Shi) : A former top-assassin of the Scarlet Guards, fearless, ruthless, and highly skilled in martial arts... A badass woman and beauty with brain. She has cold and aloof personality. Her intelligence is as high as her skills in martial arts... Used to work alone on the missions and relied on her abilities to make success... Always plans a step ahead of her enemies... Didn't know what the meaning of living, assassination and revenge were the only things she knew as meaning of life before meeting Yuanzhou... One of the best female leads to me so far...

🌿Ning Yuanzhou (Liu Yu Ning) : Member of Hell Path and new chief of Six Realm Hall. A warm-hearted person, brave, kind, cleaver and a good leader. He understands the value and meaning of life, friendship, brotherhood and love... Aspired for a carefree life far from the royal court and politics... Has a sense of humour and calm personality... A top-notch martial artist and his intelligence is second to none... Skilled in assassination and spying... I don't even have words to explain more how great this character is...

🌿Yu Shi San (Fang Yi Lun) : A free-spirited person, well-known playboy and master of makeup. Member of Asura Path of Six Realm Hall and knows his way around women. He can be said master of gossips and humour..hahaha! I guess, without him, the drama would be so boring... Mainly skilled in crossbow but can use every weapon.. brave, cleaver and loyal to his comrades... He stated it again and again that he is wanderer and does not want to stop for any woman even if he love her sincerely, and if he stop he will die... but still knows to respect women and his limits...

🌿Princess Yang Ying (He Lan Dou) : An unrespected and unloved 16-year-old princess of State of Wu, seeking for love. She was timid at first and bowed down to everyone but her character shows the most development in the whole drama, from timid and crybaby to brave, cleaver, intelligent and mature...

🌿Yuan Lu (Chen You Wei) : Member of Hungry Ghost Path. An orphan and 18-year-old young man raised by Yuanzhou, skilled in handicrafts and traps. He is an optimistic person and loyal to Yuanzhou. Treats Yuanzhou as his real brother and can do anything for his sake. He is the one everyone dotes on...

🌿Qian Zhao (Wang Yi Zhe) : Member of Heaven Path, usually silent and skilled in attacks and medicines. He always bear a poker face but knows all the gossips around and never stand back in teasing someone...hahaha!

🌿Sun Lang (Li Huan) : Member of Human Path and knows his way around animals and birds. Skilled in defence techniques and always the last one to know a gossip..hahaha!

🌿Li Tong Guang (Chang Hua Sen) : A 22-year-old boy and the first disciple of Ren Xin, a marquis of An and General in An state army. He lead the army in battle and captured Emperor Wu alive. Has controlling, obsessive, impulsive, rude, cleaver and arrogant personality. Obsessed with his master and take many reckless decisions, disregarded many lives and rationality due to obsession, despite his cleverness. I hoped for his character development, throughout the drama, but whenever I was feeling like he get mature, everytime he did something that can not be digested..

Some support characters are also worth mentioning like Empress Zhao Jie, Jin Mei Niang and Chu Yue...
This is one of the few dramas where I have more than one favourite character like Yu Shi San, Ning Yuanzhou, Ren Ru Yi, Qing Zhao, Yang Ying and Yuan Lu, they all are my favourites and I loved them all.... Almost every character get the sufficient time and development to shine and use their skills. They are not just fillers to the story but are very important to plot progression and balancing the seriousness of the story...

🍁ACTING AND CHEMISTRY:

This whole cast is new to me except Fang Yi Lun and I can't help but appreciating their tremendous acting abilities again and again. This is kinda refreshing for me to see Yi Lun in a completely different character from the previous one and he showed that he is an all-rounder and has versatility. Liu Yu Ning and Liu Shi Shi proved their excellent abilities. I am most impressed with the girl He Lan Dou who played Yang Ying...when she played a prince/boy I was doubting myself whether she actually was a girl or a boy in real!.. The main couple has decent chemistry, it's not top-notch but above good... They resolved their issues by healthy communication in no time, even if they have arguments and has healthy relationship...

🍁OSTS AND COSTUMES:

OSTs are so good and worthy to be played repeatedly...
Costumes are done so well for everyone especially the uniform of Six Realm Hall. But, the hair style Ren Ru Yi wore most of the time wasn't to my liking much...

🍁CONCLUSION:

This drama focuses on many types of relationships other than the romantic love and has many plotlines... The brotherhood, the friendship, the love, the obsession, all are worth to be mentioned and portrayed beautifully...
There are many life lessons in the drama which add value to the personality of a person and quality of life...like respect for women and her feelings, brotherhood and loyalty...
Production is done well and fighting scenes are great while politics can be categorised as decent...

🍁ENDING AND RECOMMENDATION:

I'm a little confused about the ending whether it's sad or happy 'cause I don't get what happened in the last five minutes... To be honest, the opinion on ending is a subjective matter here... For me, I think it's a sad ending but I'm fine with it. In my opinion, not every story needs a happy ending, sometimes tragedies are the most memorable and best fit with the situation...

As for recommendation, from my above thoughts, you might have guessed that this is a highly recommended drama from me... So go for it!

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For me this series deserves a perfect rate of 10. Why? Because this series is a complete package. It brought us to a rollercoaster ride. We saw their fun and humorous sides. We saw a great comraderie with them. They are badass, but we saw how soft they are with each other. We saw a great friendship and great brotherhood. The funny Yu Shisan, the animal lover Sun Lang, the quiet/cold but a caring brother Qian Zhao, the sickly but their baby brother Yuan Lu who is really a cute one. Their best boss/leader Ning Yuan Zhou. On the other hand, we also saw the same on Ren Ruyi. She is also a best leader among the Scarlet Guards. There's also Princess Aying, which from an immature princess was nortured to a strong and decisive woman. Li Tongguang who was so obsessed with his master. Chu Yue who was seemed a brat the time she was seen on the series but she's also a good hearted one. The beginning of the series gave us so much fun and laughter, makes us fall in love on how Ruyi and Yuanzhou loves and respect each other. We can see how badass they are. And they have each other's back. The series is so great that I really like that it made me smile. But when everything was in chaos,I thought I would never cry. I've read a lot of spoilers in fb.. But when I was already in the sad episodes, I really cried so much that I couldn't stop my tears from falling. Some people don't like the series because of the ending. But for me, it's already enough. Why? Because all of them died heroically and majestically. Especially Ning Yuan Zhou. The way he handled himself to keep standing until his last breath. The series made me realize, there is no always a happy ending in a chaotic world. But only a heroic ending like what happened to them. I honestly can't get over it. I cried so much. The best year ender series for me. Kudos to all the cast. They did great!




P.S.
It wasn't showed that Yuazhou,Ruyi and Shishan died. It's prolly cut because of the limit but we assumed that they are really gone coz in reality, no one can withstand that kind of battle alone. Or if ever they are still alive, and Yuanzhou and Ruyi have kids, I hope the sequel is about their kids( Son can be played ny LYN again )Just wishful thinking

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A journey of trust.

"I recently watched 'A Journey to Love,' and I must say it was a captivating and heartwarming experience. The storyline was beautifully crafted, weaving emotions seamlessly. The characters were well-developed, making it easy to connect with their journeys. The cinematography was stunning, enhancing the overall visual appeal. The soundtrack complemented the scenes perfectly, creating an immersive atmosphere. Kudos to the cast and crew for delivering a memorable drama that left a lasting impact. I highly recommend 'A Journey to Love' to anyone seeking a touching and well-executed love story."

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It’s the journey, not the destination

What a journey it has been for our main characters! It was one full of laughter, tears, love and friendship. The main cast did a spectacular job portraying characters whom I loved so much. You have equally strong male and female leads who stand strong on their own, but together, are unstoppable. The supporting leads were the cherry on top that made the story extra vibrant with their individual quirks and growth.

As much I was invested in the series, there were definitely parts that were lacking. Considering the strong introduction and plot development in the beginning, it fell short towards the latter third of the series. I was disappointed with the slow pacing of some scenes, anti-climatic showdowns, and lack of character development (i.e. Li Tong Guang). They could’ve scrapped some filler scenes and used that time to focus on what was more important.

After watching the last ep in full, I can accept the outcome for what it was. I interpreted it as RY and the fab 5 dying for the greater good with their heroic sacrifices, and reuniting in paradise. They all achieved what they set out to do and died without regrets, and so, it was a HE in its own way. However, they could’ve done a much better job wrapping up the series. They completely glossed over clearing NYZ’s brothers’/friends’ names, which was the main reason NYZ accepted the task in the first place. This deserved a whole scene where the names are cleared publicly.

I have my gripes about the show, but overall, still love the series very much. The mature love story, brotherhood, beautiful martial arts choreography and acting made this journey memorable.

Shoutout to the lovable characters:
Ru Yi - LSS never disappoints with the action scenes, love a badass FL who is strong and intelligent, defying the expectations of women in the era
NYZ - LYN did a great job in his first leading wuxia role. His character really set the bar too high for men, he is the dream man, almost too perfect. I love the mutual understanding and bond he shared with RY and the bros.
Shi San - Prob my fave character in the series. He made me laugh so hard and I always looked forward to his scenes. Definitely way better than the actor’s other role in The Long Ballad, which allowed him to showcase his potential. This is a great example of a secondary role that shines despite not being the main lead.
Yuan Lu - The happy vitamin of the group. It’s not hard to see why everyone adores him. His positive outlook in life and wisdom beyond his years was what made his character so wonderful.
QZ - The master of the RBF and side eye. Despite his stoic nature, his eyes really speak. He also seems to know all the gossip. The stark contrast between him and Shi San made it even more humorous.
Sun Lang - Fluffy and cute just like the animals he adores. A bit dense in certain matters, but his pure nature is what makes him adorable.
YY - The character with the most wonderful character development. She was a diamond in the rough who really shined. This is my first time watching this actress, and she did an amazing job! I can only see her continuing to amaze viewers with her range in acting.
LTG - The character who had the most potential yet fell to the back burner. I did not mind him being fixated on RY, in fact, his unwavering love/obsession was quite impressive. However, I wished they had fleshed out his character more as he could have had a bigger role in the main plot. Very unfortunate.

To conclude, I recommend this series if you want a good wuxia drama packed with action and romance/bromance. A great drama to end the year of 2023.

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Better then Scarlet Heart Ryeo

people are saying this is CDrama version of Scarlet Heart Ryeo. NO it is not.
you will love all the character. ALL THE CHARACTERS. theyre officially BangTan Seonyeondan of Wuxia going on a suicide mission with a badass lady and her badass disciple.
you join them in their journey, got attached, and they all will die at the end. BEAUTIFULLY.

those who said it is open ended; NO it is not.
the child is not NYZ+RRY child, he is a symbol that even after 10 years, those who you love will always be in your memories and their traces is anywhere. you will reminisce them from time to time. you will be reminded of them in everything you do.
he is a reminder to us that a good drama journey will end, and that in future you will meet another great drama having same good details from old one.

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Best c-drama of 2023 (without a doubt)

If you haven’t watched this, do yourself a favor and clear a few hours or 10. This is probably the only drama I’ll rewatch from this year. Badass female lead, badass male lead. Fantastic everything. A journey to love is just *chef’s kiss*.

First costume drama (ever??) with a healthy relationship between the ML and FL. I wish all women (and men if that’s your thing) can have a Boss Ning in their life. The casting is just so, so, so, good. I miss the squad. I’m mentally preparing for them to die. But good news! Go back to episode 1 and there they are all again! I hope this comes to Netflix so the world can see how good Liu Yu Ning and rest of crew are. I hope they cast him as an immortal somewhere. And throw in the squad please! Seems to be a happy ending, or so I’m going to interpret all the reviews so far.

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The best series i have watched this year. The acting skill of Liu Yuning and Liu Shishi are very good. And i'm so happy can watch Liu Yuning acted for the 1st main role as "Ning Yuan Zhou" i love this character so much. Liu Yuning has did well on it. The story is also nice. It's told about the value life of people. Not too complicated and sometimes it may make you laugh loud. The soundtrack of this series are also very nice. Liu Yuning given 2 songs for this series. I love his voice so much. Overall this series are awesome. Absolutely recommended this series. Just hope it has a nice ending at the end

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED CDRAMA

If you're a fan of historical or Chinese dramas, then I highly recommend one of the best C-dramas out there. Even if you're not typically a fan of Chinese dramas, I encourage you to be open-minded and give this one a chance. You might just discover that Chinese dramas are truly awesome! This Cdrama features action-packed scenes and superpowers, but what stands out are the themes of romance, friendship, and stunning ancient fashion.

It is so sad that this drama will end in 30+ episodes only, but still, I hope the authors and director of the said drama will not disappoint us in the end. Hoping for a happy ending. I've been waiting for Liu Yu Ning to be the Male Lead since he got the auras and amazing presence in the 'Who rules the World' chinese drama. Now the time comes for this drama and his time to be a Male Lead, hoping for a happy ending😭, if not, our heart will be broken into pieces, chaarrr! Hahahaha

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No, no, no

This is a disaster.
Deadpan face female lead.
No chemistry between the male and female leads.
Action that picks up once in a while, but most of the movie is carried by exposition of feelings, rather than acting of feelings, with long pseudo dialogues which are in fact monologues.
Over the still water of countless cheesy scenes comes thundering down the music, overpowering dialogue, acting and everything else in its path.
Hard to watch are all sorts of stupid decisions on the part of the scriptwriter and director.
Imagine that the main protagonists are in the middle of full scale war, and for the purpose of professing their love, the whole battle around them simply disappears. Literally. What was a field full of fierce warriors becomes an empty set. And this is a recurring feat on the part of the scriptwriter and director.
Or script inconsistencies that show how long are the distances and how hard it is to cover them, to then see, in the blink of a cinema frame, how the main characters pop up in cities far apart.
Ridiculous.
I, honest to God, have no idea why the score for this movie is so high.
As viewers we are suspposed to suspend logic, to enjoy a story, for years or months do not pass in a few hours of movie.
However, once our heads are inside the story, having accepted the premise, we should not have our sense of logic and consistency trashed.
It is disgraceful.

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