Aryael

This drama is a little different to the ones Sung Hoon is well-known for. You won't get the hot, passionate romance and no amazing kissing scenes. If you are waiting for that kiss, you'll have to wait till literally the last 30 seconds of the drama. No, there's nothing passionate or sexual about this drama. Instead, this drama has a blend of everything:- comedy, a little bit of romance, mystery, melodrama, crime, "thriller" (which is ironically the funny part) and the "politics" of showbiz. The feeling the OTP gave me was more of a "we are best friends who like to bicker a lot" than an actual romantic couple. So, if you are going to watch this for Sung Hoon, just do not expect his usual intense smoldering hot sexual type romance. Get ready for a ride of a different sort.

You are all welcome.

I saw a few comments here about ppl being unhappy that polygamy is involved. This is, unfortunately, the real situation in ancient China. Men born into affluent families, nobility and royalty are expected to have a main legal wife and many concubines. Most times, there is no love involved in marrying because marriage is arranged between families with the aim to retain power, authority and wealth amongst the upper-classes. Men relieve their lusts or find love by having concubines while the legal wife's role is to be mistress over the household and to produce legal heirs. This is the true situation up until my grandparents' time.

Both sides of my grandparents were from arranged marriages because they were upper-class people. My maternal grandparents were even of nobility bloodlines and as a young child, I remember my maternal grandmother with her tiny binded feet and the way she swayed as she walked. I would like to say that having concubines is a thing of the past but the reality is, in many Asian countries, many wealthy and affluent men still keep 'concubines' in the form of mistresses. I myself know a few friends whose families were affected by their fathers keeping 'second families'. So, polygamy is still very much alive, especially in the Asian culture.

What is rare in the ancient days though, is having the man and woman marrying for love while both sides are of equal social status. Very rare. But that does not mean couples from arranged marriages did not love each other. My maternal grandmother once related to me how she only first met my maternal grandfather during the wedding night when he lifted her veil. For months since then, they did not consummate their marriage as they got to know each other. Eventually, they formed affections for each other and consummated their marriage. According to grandmother, love is a feeling that can be cultivated over time as you get to know the person, but because your life partner was chosen by your parents after a rigorous process of screening through suitability of the candidate and the candidate's family, you can rest assured that the person you give your heart to is worthy and approved by your families. My grandmother said it was the responsible and honourable thing to do. That's the mentality of those times.

So, I really appreciate this drama for preserving that true culture of the times. No fantasy-like romance with no regards to the reality of the time and culture. This is a slice of life type drama with all the family conflicts that come with it. In fact, based on the novel (if you'd read it), Ming Lan did not really fall for Gu Ting Ye, until after a while into their marriage - after they had faced many challenges together as a couple. It's a gradual thing. And this is very common for people in those times; much like my maternal grandmother's own experience.

@Vietgal505 Yes, understood. She has a pretty 'frozen' expression and doesn't know how to 'speak' or express emotions using her eyes. Her eyes are big but they are pretty dead in expression. They are for aesthetic function. Perhaps that's why she couldn't manufacture chemistry with her meal leads. Many so-called high paying top Chinese actresses are beautiful but not all of them can actually act. Just watch for the aesthetics. Don't expect much. Instead, let the story be the saving grace. So, if the story falters, then there isn't much worth in watching. So far, the story is holding up well.

I find myself confused between Gu Ting Ye (William Feng) and Sheng Second Brother (Wang Ren Jun). Both actors look exceedingly similar! Anyone having this problem? So far, I am keeping tab of who's who by looking at their clothes. Gu Ting Ye (William Feng) usually wears blue or purple clothes while Sheng Chang Bai (the Sheng 2nd brother) usually wears beige or white clothes.

Yep, she's bad in acting. But the novel's story is brilliant. I am watching for the story.

Thank you. :)

My guess it's someone the Deputy Director (the fierce lady who kept wanting to catch Terius) planted to tail and protect Terius or it could be the Deputy Director herself. The lady is the good guy and she has been wanting to catch the NIS director for a while now. She pretended to be in cahoot with the bad guys but in actual fact she's trying to find a loophole to capture them all. She was the one who sent the message to stop the truck halfway and for her guys to toss the key to Terius to escape the truck before it blew up because she knew the Director planned to kill (and pass it off as she trying to kill) Terius. Her actions were misunderstood as she sending the message to blow up the truck. All this while the Director had been passing off his actions as hers which caused others to think it was her who's the bad guy, but the Director can't take her down because he wasn't sure if she's really bought over to their side or if she's pretending to be bought over - hence the cat and mouse, you-backstab me-i-backstab-you thingy between them. My guess is the button Terius saw when he was under interrogation by the Deputy Director was probably a gift from the Director to wanted sow dissent and misunderstanding between the Deputy Director and Terius which explained why there was a scene where the bad guy snickered and said "I like the way he handled the Candy case...." when referring to their NIS mole. The guy who shot Terius 3 years ago is most likely the Director or a man under the Director. This is the twist I will write if I wrote the story. :)

In Season 1, there were two Qu Tan Er (modern and ancient). In Season 2, there are two Mo Liang Cheng (modern and ancient). I see where this is going......... just hoping that Season 2 will end with a happy ending.

This is The Eternal Love Re-boot. Well, I hope this version will lead to a solid happy ending....... *fingers crossed!*

QQ, iQiyi and Youku

I am watching this because they filmed in my hometown Adelaide and my alma mater, Uni Adelaide. It's funny to see the places I usually pass by in an Asian drama. Because I am very familiar with those places, it's laughable to see how the scenes can switch from CBD and Chinatown to places at the hills and up north........the total Kms covered is not practical for bike chase scenes. I guess it takes a local to notice the impracticality of those scenes.

But what really bothered me was the really bad English dubbing. It's a mess of multi-accented English....there's Indian accent, some Spanish/South American accent, Italian accent, Chinese accent etc in there. Can't they afford to hire American or Aussie voice actors and actresses for the dubbing? Bad English really spoils the enjoyment and authenticity of the drama. :(

Anyway, I'm glad Adelaide made it into an Asian drama. A few years back, we hosted the Chinese Running Man and it was fun to see the big hoohaa in CBD back then. Looks like we are starting to carve a good image as the affordable 'overseas' spot that mainland Chinese directors can come to film their movies and dramas.

Lastly, I just want to insert in a word or two to promote my hometown......Adelaide is a lovely place to live......the hills to the east, the beaches to the west - fresh produce all year round, wine-making state that produces some of the world's best wines, scenic etc. It's the Aussie city that gives off a very laid-back, peaceful European vibe. So, if a peaceful, affordable and relaxing holiday is what you are after......Adelaide is the place for you! It's also a romantic/scenic place to be for couples and honeymooners who are not after the bustling city shopping (Melbourne & Sydney) or adrenaline-filled joyride/extreme sports/nature activities (Brisbane-Gold Coast) holiday :)

I read so many comments about this being really scary and since it's the season leading up to Halloween, I thought I'll check this one out. It's ok. I have pretty high tolerance towards supernatural psychological thrillers and this one is not the worst I'd seen. The gore and killings/stabbings were censored to some extend. Wish they didn't have to censor out those scenes. They should follow Hollywood like in Aliens or Predator where all the organs, entrails, skulls and skinned humans were shown dripping in blood without censorship. Full impact. Korean horror and gore is still censored to some extend. They wouldn't even show the knife or blade in full when there were stabbing scenes. :( The story is worth watching since it's investigative. So, I'm staying on for the story. Hopefully, the story won't be a disappointment.

Understood. Your sentiments are exactly the same as my husband's. He couldn't get why I like watching "senseless" romance dramas like this one. And I teased him back, saying I could not understand why he like "logic-defying" action movies where ppl can jump a thousand miles, fly, survive multiple bomb threats, miraculously appear whenever they are needed etc etc. Fact is: it's entertainment. It's not meant to make sense. In action dramas or movies, you get to fantasize about being able to perform all sorts of gravity and natural-law defying moves. In romance, you get to fantasize about the perfect partner and the perfect love. Many of us are either romantics or adrenaline junkies or both. All I can say, to each it's own poison. Of course, in real life, I'd always choose family over any type of romance. Blood is always thicker than water! Anyone who choose love over family is choosing a destructive path for themselves and those around them. There can never be peace in your life if you can't even make peace with your loved ones. The past always comes back to haunt you. And it can definitely affect the next generation!

All that angst started because of one single action that was unwarranted - feeding the infant Jin Mi the Unfeeling Pill. Because of her own bad experience with romance, the Flower Goddess might think it was for her daughter's own good but without the Unfeeling Pill, Jin Mi would not have suffered so much and her relationship with Xu Feng would be straightforward.

Another catalyst for all the angst is the Heavenly Empress who wanted power (because she couldn't get love) and like the Flower Goddess, forced Xu Feng to walk a certain path thinking it's for his own good. Both the Flower Goddess and Heavenly Empress are examples of bad parenting. So, parents and future parents, do not force your children to walk the path you think is good for them but is not something they wanted.

Then, there's the Heavenly Emperor who couldn't keep his ahem in his pants even though he's a married man, leading to a broken family. In conclusion, the faults of one generation can indeed affect the next generation. It's a domino effect. So, in the future, no matter what challenges you face or how others wronged you, always opt for the peaceful and loving way to solve it, and always put family first no matter how unlovable your family may be. Anger, hatred, jealousy, revenge do nothing but to hurt you, your loved ones and your future generation.

Yay! More than 60 eps! But even 63 eps sound dubious for a solid ending. Me reckons 70 eps' more like it!

I prefer the novel and story pace in Ashes of Love but when it comes to acting, I am going to go with Eternal Love. While Yan Zi did well as Jin Mi, I feel that the role of the Fire God is a bit too big for Deng Lun to pull off successfully. So if you are after excellent acting from both male and female leads, go for Eternal Love, but if you are after a story with a good pace, good acting from a female lead but a male lead that may not measure up in character charisma and presence, go for Ashes of Love. That's my humble opinion.

I do not mind the add ons and they do explain many things in the novel, however, if the add ons take time away from a satisfying and solid ending, then I feel that they had overdone it with the add ons. I do not mind if they suddenly announce it to be a 70 eps instead of the 60 eps, just so we get a solid ending and not just a brief reunion. The worst thing they could do to us is just show how Xu Feng and Jin Mi meet again in the mortal world or even worst, a hint of a happy ending. I want to see their marriage and their son being born. It's the least they can do after putting us through so much angst. That's what I meant by a solid ending. And it shouldn't be rushed either. While this drama started out great with good add ons that explained the story better, the make or break will depend on how they end this drama.

Unless this is going past 60 eps, they r definitely not showing the happily-ever-after epilogues. Too much side-character stories and dallying since eps 50 onwards. *sigh* I don't understand why ppl aren't investing on solid endings but on side characters instead. I dun mind side stories but only if they add value to the main story and do not distract from the pace and affect the endings. At this stage, I think we will literally just see the two main leads reunited and that's it - end! There goes my 60-eps time investment! Feels like a rip off! *sigh*

Finally, we got to the pivotal stabbing scene! I hope they are going to end this drama well and unhurriedly what with only 10+ episodes left but the demon world and JM dying and getting reborn as mortal, XF 'kidnapping' the bride, plus JM & XF marrying and having a son......that's a lot to fit into 10+ episodes at the pace they are going now. Please don't rush the happy ending! Unless.....they plan to just show them together but forgo all the sweet happily-ever-after epilogue scenes??????