MagnoliaCream

I haven't finished the novel, but I really like how the drama conveys ideas and concepts that are not seen in most cdramas - like advocacy for peace and forgiveness. It seems many people were disappointed, mad even, that Xiao Duo did not go ahead with his revenge. If only they tried to understand the drama better and realized that XD killing the unarmed Bu Yulu in coldblood would have been a stark display of cowardice, they would have appreciated how the drama served justice in a much, much better way.

Yinlou is ahead of her time. Both she and Xiao Duo are. They are both intelligent and inherently peace-loving, not like the revenge-driven grudge-keeping characters of their time. This does not mean that they will let others bully them. They seek justice in the proper way, refusing to stoop to the level of his brother's murderer or the cause of her mother's distress, who happen to be the same man. They let the law deal with him. She showed her magnanimity towards her father, visiting him in prison, even giving him a present; also towards Tongyun who has let her down many times. She is indeed a great role model for women.

1. Yes, it is a happy ending for the main couple. Please see extended endings too, to triple the happiness :)
2. Two guys are vying for the FL though she has eyes only for one. The ML gets jealous
3. Not too slow burn; the ML is decisive and the FL is not the coy type. They flirt a lot.
4. There are three couples. The stories of the other couples are also endearing
5. The kiss scenes are sizzling hot, probably why they were censored. You may view the cut scenes in the Discussion post entitled "Compiled links of BTS, Deleted Scenes, Extended Ending + Extra Story" above the Comments section. But this does not mean there are no romantic scenes left. The lead couple is passionate, so there are romantic scenes a-plenty.

The spirit is of Jin Lian, Mo Yuan's twin brother, placed in the golden lotus for cultivation, i.e. Ye Hua is a reincarnation of Jin Lian

The book is available on amazon.com. It is entitled To The Sky Kingdom by Tang Qi.

the ML is a reincarnation of the golden lotus spirit which is Mo Yuan's twin brother, so, ML spirit is older than the FL

In the movie version starring Yang Yang, they are. That's one aspect I like in the movie.

I agree with most of your comments. However, at ep 20, there is no closure yet regarding Xiao Duo's revenge and Yinlou is still in chains by the emperor. I'm happy with how it ended at ep 36. Xiao Duo and Yinlou both got closure and their unchained love achieved fulfillment As for the rest, the drama left us with things to think about, as it has been doing throughout the series.

Maybe because she had been exposed to such difficulties in life, like seeing her mother's pitiable condition in her father's harem, being forced to be a concubine to the late emperor at 15 or 16 years of age to save her mother's life (or so she thought) and living in the palace with so many other concubines, she had to learn to fend for herself. Her eyes have been opened to the ways of the world. I like that she is wise but not mean. Despite being her father's daughter, her heart is in the right place. That may be attributed to her mother's loving upbringing.

and based on what I read in this platform and Twitter, a lot of people who didn't know her before came to like her coz of her portrayal of Yinlou

Yinlou is such a complicated character. Naughty, witty, cunning, caring, bratty, intelligent, scheming, courageous, passionate, and Yukee was able to portray all these traits effectively. I didn't know her very well before but kept reading about her "blandness". She certainly shed that image for good with this drama.

for sure, BYL would make sure of it 😅😅😅

I would sign up for that class asap :) And if the editor of UL could be guest lecturer, i would fly 😅

I think some cuts were by choice, i.e. they really intended to cut them, as editors usually do.

have you watched Love Between Fairy and Devil or The Rational Life?

Princess Weiyoung has 2 - 6

note that the ending has two extension videos. the links may be found in the Discussion topic entitled "Compiled links of BTS, Deleted Scenes, Extended Ending + Extra Story" above the Comments section

What an apt description for Xiao Duo. Beneath that cold, ruthless exterior is a passionate and wildly romantic beast just waiting to be unleashed by a passionate and wild woman :) I love this drama to pieces!

Once in a blue moon, you encounter a drama that grabs your heart and imagination so hard, where three-dimensional characters come alive in a world filled with breathtaking sceneries, beautiful music and passionate love, you just want to dwell in that magical place for as long as you can.

The first cdrama that made me feel this way was Eternal Love (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms). Thus, I was never bothered by the poor cgi because the emotional attachment I had with the drama made me ignore any flaws the drama had. I watched this 58-episode drama 5 times in a row. Since then, these other cdramas hit me almost as hard - Nirvana in Fire, Love O2O, Princess Agents, The Sword And The Brocade and Love Between Fairy and Devil - compelling me to watch them two or more times in a row.

I'm now watching Unchained Love for a 3rd time. As with TMOPB, the emotional attachment I developed with its three-dimensional characters was off the charts. When you have intelligent lead characters who have had painful pasts but somehow managed to stay noble of heart, then finally found their perfect match but have a forbidden relationship; when you have leads who can communicate by knocking on a wall, an absurdly over-the-top and funny way to show how in tune they are with each other; when you have a female lead who breaks her own heart and her beloved's to protect him, and a male lead who begs to have his pride and dignity be trampled on just so he can stay by her side; when you have a love so true it can break the chains of hatred and obsession for such dark intentions as revenge, one can't help being utterly emotionally attached.

I can't thank the production team enough for giving the world this beautiful emotional roller-coaster that made us laugh, cry, fear, swoon and feel unchained love.

Another great analysis. Should you teach a course on Unchained Love, I would like to take that class :) One thing I like about this drama is how it inspires us to dig deeper into what we're watching. I think it's because of its subtleties.

Another thing, this drama makes us laugh at the most unexpected times, like when XD pulled the arrow making the already flustered BYL scream. Her answer to his question of why she screamed is typical ditsy BYL :)

This also makes us swoon at the most unexpected times, like when BYL is trying to stop the bleeding, XD looks more interested in how close she is and attempts to put his arm around her.

I really love the subtle ways XD and BYL's relationship develops. I wonder if that is one reason some explicit romantic scenes were cut - to keep things subtle. Them exchanging nicknames is, for me, one of the most intimate scenes in the drama, as they are now declaring each other as their closest person. And the way he makes up his nickname to tie up with hers is so endearing.

lol i was wondering about that too 😅 Well, sabotaged or not, Unchained Love is a certified hit. Those interested in how well it performed, please see Discussion topic entitled "Unchained Love's Achievement Stats in China" above Comments section