Juuu

exactly! I didn't find it confusing tbh. This kind of setup is often done in kdramas and cdramas, I think we're used to it. No clue why they felt the need to change it

First of all, the points I disliked was the way Mu Qingge got her memories back, or should I say the point of time: I was so looking forward to the moment when Qingge would remember everything and SYS could get her forgiveness. But the moment she comes back he's gone bc of the demon issue :/ So when they did end up reuniting (with her memories back) it felt anti-climatic to me :( Especially because SYS kept mentioning how he wanted to clear things up between them and how worried he was bc she would be so mad at him once she remembers everything, I expected it to be more of a climax but instead it fell a bit flat.

Another point I disliked was the ending, I think it became a bit draggy and they could've wrapped it up in less episodes to maintain the overall quality of the plot.

The best points of this drama for me:
- Julia Xiang did an amazing job at playing the two different personalities. I was surprised to see that she's only 22! When she was Mu Qingge she gave off really mature vibes and definitely felt like she was older than YSY and incorporated the Master-aura very well. Once she was RanRan she changed completely and very naturally into a young girl with way less maturity. It was very well acted!
- I loved the storyline between MQ and YSY in the first life but I wish MQ's comeback would've been handled a bit differently. I loved how the writers managed to include so many entertaining and angsty tropes that are considered cliché, but here it was still well done and great to watch! It rarely got boring!
- Deng Wei did an amazing job and just like Julia he managed to give off immature young vibes versus mature Master-aura in the different stages of the drama. He had so much charisma as both Master but also the angry youngster. Also, I often notice how Chinese actors try and fail to act as a believable tsundere character, or show this brooding, angry vibe that lots of ML have in Cdrama - but Deng Wei did an exceptional job at it! When he was angry, his eyes were so full of anger! When he was annoyed and rolling his eyes, he had this exasperated look - it was extremely amusing!
Other points:
- I loved the "I can fix him"-trope between Mu Qingge and the still-evil young SYS - and her provoking him was so fun to watch!
- The SML and SFL were terribly annoying and typical villains who are self-centered and whiny. It was at some point difficult to watch their scenes bc it was so repetitive and uninteresting.
- The costumes were so pretty and MQ vs RanRan's different makeup style was so well done, they actually managed to make the actress look so different thanks to the Makeup!
- I also loved how they mixed CGI with real effects like explosions and real water etc. I can't remember this happening too often in these type of Cdramas...
- I loved the amnesia arc, I'm actually not against amnesia storyline bc it can be fun when it's well done - but in Moonlight Mystique for example I *HATED* it and it made me quit watching. In LOTDT I loved it bc at the point where the story got a bit boring - since YSY and RanRan were totally in love and all love-issues were solved - they brought in this new obstacle and young version SYS being all cold and ambitious paired with RanRan's bubbly personality was so fun to watch!
Finally, I think the original order of episodes was better - I watched it when there's the timeline jump from RanRan back to Mu Qingge and I found it more suspenseful that way. I don't think they should've changed it but well...
That's it! LOL I wrote so muchhhh

I finished this drama and for me it was a 9.5/10 - highly recommend!! Only taking 0.5 points off because around episodes 27 it got a little bit draggy, but only for a few episodes. Also I wasn't quite satisfied with the way they wrapped things up but that is only my personal preference. My thoughts are below bc it contaisn spoilers:

I actually watched it with the old order and I prefered it that way! It felt more suspensefull bc you didn't know what happened between ML and FL previously

have you watched Love of the Divine Tree yet? Bc that drama is exactly that imo

wait so Deng Wei will play a Xiang Liu-type of character this time?? Oh how the tables have turned! Can't wait for this

The summary doesn't really give too much away about what kind of story this is...can someone compare it to some other Cdramas? To which cdrama does it have a similar vibe? (Like if I enjoyed xxx I might enjoy Love and Redemption as well)?

Definitely! I have a thing for anti-heroes, villains or morally gray characters tbh :} Sometimes a noble character does win me over tho. It depends on the acting...but I felt like in LYF the director really focused on making Xiang Liu shine tbh! Jing ended up looking dull in comparison...

I rarely read the novels from Cdramas but after finishing LYF I actually read some parts of it and I was very surprised to see how close the Drama was to the novel - at least the beginning (I didn't read the full novel).
I didn't connect with Jing at all because I prefer characters that are more proactive and stand their ground, and to me it felt like he just accepted his fate too easily and was too passive. His scenes seemed repetitive because he was always lamenting something happened TO him, instead of just taking things into his own hands and doing something against it. When he did that, he actually asked Xuang Liu to do it for him....which I really thought was very odd and cowardly, but I imagine that it was possibly better explained in the novel!
Deng Wei was definitely outshined by the actor who portrayed Xiang Liu, who not only had a more interesting character but also better chemistry with the FL (I feel like that FL rarely has strong chemistry with her co-actors, but maybe that's just me! It surprised me that her and the Xiang Liu-actor showed such great chemistry).

I don't understand how people can be so mean towards actors irl, just because I didn't like his character on screen doesn't justify being mean to actors. They're just doing their jobs...

Anyway, now Deng Wei is really shining as Su Yi Shui! SYS has so much character development, from an angry young man to a grieving battered man to someone who becomes more and more noble and generous to others and then even turns into a demon - he played all of this really well, making me feel for his character and imo he has a very strong on-screen presence. Very much main character quality. I still haven't finished this cdrama but I'm very much loving it and glad that I gave it a chance!!

I really didn't care for Tu shna jing AT ALL lol he was way too whiny and never took initiative. But it wasn't Deng Wei's fault, it was the way the director wanted to portray the character....but sometimes we end up disliking a character so much that we unconsciously relate it to the actors who played them. I guess that happened with me with Deng Wei! But I'm glad I still gave him another chance, I'm really enjoying his work in LOTDT!!

Currently watching and can HIGHLY recommend! If you're unsure if this is something for you, I can tell you that I haven't even felt the need to skip a scene here, which is absolutely unheard of for me, especially for C-dramas (I *always* skip so many scenes if I find them boring, but not this time).
This drama is perfect for enemies-to-lovers fans and fans of starcrossed-lovers + past lives tropes, but with an interesting storyline that keeps you engaged in the overall story and not just a few parts. The cast is great, there aren't many unnecessary filler scenes and the chemistry between all main leads is amazing.
I'm going to be honest, I *almost* skipped this Drama entirely because of the male lead O_O
I've just finished Lost You Forever recently and I absolutely disliked his character, and I thought I disliked the actor as well (or his acting). He had little chemistry with the female lead in LYF (in MY opinion) and I felt disconnected from his acting. But then I saw so many rave reviews for Love of The Divine Tree that I decided to give it a go - and now realized that it wasn't his acting that was at fault, but the actual character being boring in LYF! Here in LotDT his acting is really amazing - there are scenes when he's mad at someone and he looks at them with so much anger, it's like daggers shooting from his eyes! This character fits him *so well*, he's definitely changed my opinion about his acting talent and I guess the director makes a big difference too in directing the actors well.
I'll give an update once I'm finished with the drama, bc I want to give my two cents about the story and plot and other actors (I'm loving the female lead!!), but I just needed to say this right now lol

just not my cup of tea, how is this bringing hate to anyone

hateful agenda ??? They just aren't my favorite actors, do we have to love and hype every single actor? Please. People on MDL are way too childish, help

aah now that you've written it all down I really feel sad for the potential it all had and how it ended up :/

thanks! I think I'll drop it then :]

ah I see! Are they all from the same agency perhaps?

I can relate, I also felt it doesn't have much emotional depth. Her father dies and she just moves on so quickly, the "revenge" she wants to seek for her father seems just a plot-move from the writers but there's no real emotion there. It was kind of weird to me, I just can't get into it :/

thanks!

thanks...I must say I agree.

I so agree with you. The ML was way too 'mild and meek' as you put it, especially considering he's supposed to be a Demon Lord. He wasn't vicious enough and so the part when he loses his memory didn't even feel that entertaining because he hadn't been very different before...I loved ALP for the drama and depth and character development, but MM is lacking for a Xianxia. I need more angst, drama etc and MM unfortunately isn't giving that. I'm sad bc I really love Bai Lu as an actress but the writing is not helping. The plot feels all over the place...