This review may contain spoilers
Ding Yuxi, the ACTOR you are...
I will repeat what has been said many times - Ding Yuxi is the BEST part of this drama. That is not to say that the rest of the show is bad - on the contrary, I do believe that this show is worth watching, even if you are not watching for Ding Yuxi. I assure you, by the end of this show, you will fall irrevocably in love with him and be blown away by the versatility he has as an actor. For fans of Ding Yuxi, this show will be SUCH a fun watch because he looks so. insanely. GOOD. in every single episode, every single lifetime. And, as always, his acting is absolutely undeniable. The stylists did an excellent job in curating his every outfit, his every look. In every lifetime, he played a slightly different role, some more than others, and he NAILED each and every one. His subtle mannerisms, micro-expressions, and tone of voice stole the show. He is truly such a phenomenal actor and I am anguished that he did not receive the recognition he deserved for the incredible acting job he did in his show. He was wonderful as Chu Kong, the God of War, and personally I love every single one of his eyebrow raises and eye acting - he is truly one of the best eye actors out there and his gaze is always so full of emotion, be it love, sincerity, pain, rage, whatever you can name... In short, I have no complaints about Ding Yuxi's styling or performance in this drama, he brought every role to life and truly mastered the subtle details needed to show the difference between the characters in every lifetime, while at the same time maintaining enough similarities as he does remain as Chu Kong fundamentally throughout the show.
As for Yang Chaoyue, I will admit that I was doubtful of her acting skills in the beginning, but I pushed through for Ding Yuxi, and I will say that as the show goes on, her acting does improve. Given that she is relatively new to acting, I think she did a commendable job in this show, even though there are some scenes in which I was unable to feel the full impact of the emotions she was supposed to be showing. I am confident she will improve in her future works! Her acting does not stand out in this show, but it is highly watchable and at the very least, somewhat believable. I do think she did better in some lifetimes compared to others, and I do believe that she is better suited for some roles than others. I will talk more about this in my ranking/elaboration of the lifetimes.
The music was honestly terrible for the most part and took me out of the show instead of helping me become more invested in the scene. There is one score that was done well, that is the score used in Love Between Fairy and Devil, and it is the dramatic kind of music that swells and builds tension. There were also a few other moments where the OST was paired quite nicely with the romantic scenes, but I do think that these moments were pretty few and far between. Especially for fight/action scenes, the music used felt too much like a modern-day rap and did nothing to build tension, it honestly made the scene quite hilarious, which definitely was not the intended effect.
The chemistry between the leads is not electric, but it is built slowly through the lifetimes and their experiences and interactions together. They do a good job of encapsulating their gentle love and do play a fairly convincing couple. I enjoyed watching them together and also the process of them falling for each other. It is a sweet love story that brings you both contentment and anguish when things do not turn out well in the lifetimes. I would not consider this love story as anywhere near the greatest in the history of cdramas or even in the history of xianxia cdramas, but it is definitely watchable and they have sweet moments together that will warm your heart. They also grow to have an amusing dynamic.
This is not a show where the FL is a badass, and neither is it a show where she is extremely weak and unable to fend for herself. In terms of power, yes the FL is weak(er), but her personality is not helpless and she is far from a damsel in distress (mostly). But she is not a powerful badass FL throughout the show - she is at some point, in one or two lifetimes, but if you are watching the show solely for this, I would not recommend it.
The side characters are, in my opinion, highly forgettable. The villain is very predictable and the plot twists were unsurprising, they were all quite typical of a traditional xianxia. I personally did not care for the side couple at all but it was still pretty heartening to see them get their semi-happy ending. Just a fair warning - this show does have a love triangle, and the 2nd ML annoyed me to NO END. I might be a little biased because I hate love triangles with a burning passion... but honestly, he truly was quite infuriating, at least in the first half of the show. He definitely had some character development in the second half but I have never felt such annoyance at a 2nd ML before. Though I will say that he is not a huge influence on your watching pleasure because watching the ML and FL together made up for his irritating appearances.
As for the plot and the pace of the show, you would think that it gets repetitive and boring after 7 tribulations, but it really doesn't. Every lifetime is critical to the storyline and pushes the plot forward well. There were callbacks and references to previous lifetimes in the later lifetimes as well which was not overdone, just done enough to tug on your heartstrings. I also loved how each lifetime was slightly different so we really got to see the diversity, range, and versatility of the actors (honestly the FL's role did not change MUCH, but we truly got to explore Ding Yuxi's range and he aced every single one of his roles). I would say that this is one of the better xianxias I have watched and it uses lots of old tropes but it also offers a more refreshing twist on it, which I appreciated. So if you're tired of the typical xianxias but still want to watch a good xianxia, I think this show is definitely worth a shot.
I will now dive deeper into each lifetime, in chronological order, then in order of my preferred ranking. [Mild SPOILERS]
1. The animal lifetime
This was just hilarious. It lasted about half an episode because they were literally animals but it was so funny and entertaining to watch. This was here for pure humour, but it's also very touching when in the other lifetimes to follow, references were made to this lifetime through the mention of a pig and a tiger together (which were their animal reincarnations in this life).
2. The lifetime of Lu Chang Kong
I forgot the exact titles of their roles in this lifetime... but this was the longest one, lasting about 7 episodes. In this life, ML reincarnated without his memories while FL had hers intact. This is also the lifetime in which we could see the FL falling for the ML (well, and vice versa, but the ML fell for her as Lu Chang Kong, aka the name of his reincarnation in this life, not as his "original" identity, Chu Kong the God of War). This lifetime was cute and I enjoyed their interactions, but it was also very complex with the whole palace politics plotline etc. The first half was really cute, but the second half was just tragedy after tragedy and while I didn't cry per se, I did come very close to it. Also - this lifetime was my 2nd favourite look on Ding Yuxi.
3. The shifu/disciple lifetime
I LOVED this lifetime so much because we got to see the ML falling for the FL as himself, and the FL falling for him as her identity in this lifetime. Being around 6 episodes long, this lifetime was in many ways a role reversal of sorts from the previous lifetime since the ML had his memories and the FL did not. I also absolutely adored the side characters in this lifetime, the bromance between them was one of the best parts (if not THE best) of this lifetime. And in terms of styling, this lifetime was my 2nd favourite look on Yang Chaoyue.
4. The Princess/General lifetime
Honestly, this lifetime was not my favourite, but it was also one of the shortest, lasting around 3 episodes. The palace politics really didn't interest me at all and everything moved fairly quickly, given that they were only in this lifetime for a short while, and I was more than happy with that LOL. The best part of this lifetime was the brief body swap in the beginning, which lasted maybe around 1 episode? This really showed the acting and the range of the leads, and I think both did well but Ding Yuxi gave a more convincing performance - though that might also be in part due to the fact that MLs acting as FLs tend to be easier to showcase. Nonetheless, it was an entertaining watch and I was impressed with their acting skills, especially Ding Yuxi because he truly did a fantastic job acting as the FL. This was also the lifetime in which both of them had their memories. However, I did not care for the styling in this lifetime at all - it was probably the worst look for both leads, not that it was horrible, but it was nothing special.
5. The "original" lifetime, 30 000 years ago
This lifetime technically wasn't a reincarnation in the mortal realm, but they travelled back to 30 000 years ago [SPOILER] when they first met and fell in love. This plot point is typical of a xianxia so it really wasn't anything surprising and it was pretty predictable, but this was my FAVOURITE lifetime. Neither had their memories, but this lifetime was very sweet and I loved seeing them fall in love as their original selves/identities. The styling here was also immaculate - my 3rd favourite for both the ML and the FL, and both are a VERY close 3rd to my 2nd favourite styling of both of them. The plot got a little hurried in the end but I enjoyed this one so so so much. This lasted around 6 episodes too and I personally think that the leads had the best chemistry in this lifetime.
6. The demon lifetime
I loved this lifetime!! It was probably my 3rd favourite, purely for the styling and also to see Ding Yuxi's demon acting. He ATE this up I really cannot stress this enough - he reincarnated as a cat demon so watching his cat-like mannerisms was insane, the lazy drawl and the EYE ACTING, the slow drag of his feet and every action, the times where he actually acts like a cat... he really did so well and I would argue that this lifetime was the one where his acting shone through the most. This lasted maybe around 5-6 episodes? And the styling was IMMACULATE, top-tier, for both Ding Yuxi and Yang Chaoyue, he looked SOOOO good and she was STUNNING I almost collapsed with the face cards and costumes in this life. The visual of this lifetime is the strongest part of this lifetime (along with Ding Yuxi's acting, of course). Moreover, both the ML and FL had their memories.
7. The last lifetime
This lasted like 5 minutes and it really was just [SPOILER] a reunion of the two leads for their deserved happy ending, so I have nothing to say about this lifetime, except - the stylists gave up on Ding Yuxi here because WHO put him in that fugly bun?????!! His face card is lethally strong but nobody can pull that off please... the bun they should've put him in was the one they did in the 2nd lifetime because THAT ate, but this one was just not it.
Now in my preferred order...
1. The "original" lifetime, 30 000 years ago
2. The shifu/disciple lifetime
3. The demon lifetime
4. The lifetime as Lu Chang Kong
5. The Princess/General lifetime
6. The animal lifetime
7. The last lifetime
(5 & 6 are pretty close)
Honestly, if you don't watch this for anything else, do it for Ding Yuxi's face card and phenomenal acting. He really aced this role and I do not have a single negative comment on his performance. Yes, I might be biased because I love him, but I truly think he did an excellent, formidable job. I would recommend this drama if you're looking for a good xianxia that isn't entirely new but also isn't a copy-and-paste of all the other xianxias that came before it. I would also recommend it if you're a fan of Ding Yuxi, or if you like the reincarnation trope. The CGI is also pretty believable and many sets/scenes remind me a lot of Love Between Fairy and Devil, given that this show came from the same production company.
If you liked this show, do give Love Between Fairy and Devil a watch - I have a full review of that on my account too, it's my #1 favourite cdrama of all time. For more of Ding Yuxi, honestly he does an excellent job in all his shows, but his best one is Love Game in Eastern Fantasy for sure. I also recommend The Romance of Tiger and Rose and Melody of Golden Age. For Yang Chaoyue, this is the only show I've seen her in so I unfortunately don't have other recs but I'm looking forward to watching more of her shows and seeing her grow as an actress because she does have good potential.
As for Yang Chaoyue, I will admit that I was doubtful of her acting skills in the beginning, but I pushed through for Ding Yuxi, and I will say that as the show goes on, her acting does improve. Given that she is relatively new to acting, I think she did a commendable job in this show, even though there are some scenes in which I was unable to feel the full impact of the emotions she was supposed to be showing. I am confident she will improve in her future works! Her acting does not stand out in this show, but it is highly watchable and at the very least, somewhat believable. I do think she did better in some lifetimes compared to others, and I do believe that she is better suited for some roles than others. I will talk more about this in my ranking/elaboration of the lifetimes.
The music was honestly terrible for the most part and took me out of the show instead of helping me become more invested in the scene. There is one score that was done well, that is the score used in Love Between Fairy and Devil, and it is the dramatic kind of music that swells and builds tension. There were also a few other moments where the OST was paired quite nicely with the romantic scenes, but I do think that these moments were pretty few and far between. Especially for fight/action scenes, the music used felt too much like a modern-day rap and did nothing to build tension, it honestly made the scene quite hilarious, which definitely was not the intended effect.
The chemistry between the leads is not electric, but it is built slowly through the lifetimes and their experiences and interactions together. They do a good job of encapsulating their gentle love and do play a fairly convincing couple. I enjoyed watching them together and also the process of them falling for each other. It is a sweet love story that brings you both contentment and anguish when things do not turn out well in the lifetimes. I would not consider this love story as anywhere near the greatest in the history of cdramas or even in the history of xianxia cdramas, but it is definitely watchable and they have sweet moments together that will warm your heart. They also grow to have an amusing dynamic.
This is not a show where the FL is a badass, and neither is it a show where she is extremely weak and unable to fend for herself. In terms of power, yes the FL is weak(er), but her personality is not helpless and she is far from a damsel in distress (mostly). But she is not a powerful badass FL throughout the show - she is at some point, in one or two lifetimes, but if you are watching the show solely for this, I would not recommend it.
The side characters are, in my opinion, highly forgettable. The villain is very predictable and the plot twists were unsurprising, they were all quite typical of a traditional xianxia. I personally did not care for the side couple at all but it was still pretty heartening to see them get their semi-happy ending. Just a fair warning - this show does have a love triangle, and the 2nd ML annoyed me to NO END. I might be a little biased because I hate love triangles with a burning passion... but honestly, he truly was quite infuriating, at least in the first half of the show. He definitely had some character development in the second half but I have never felt such annoyance at a 2nd ML before. Though I will say that he is not a huge influence on your watching pleasure because watching the ML and FL together made up for his irritating appearances.
As for the plot and the pace of the show, you would think that it gets repetitive and boring after 7 tribulations, but it really doesn't. Every lifetime is critical to the storyline and pushes the plot forward well. There were callbacks and references to previous lifetimes in the later lifetimes as well which was not overdone, just done enough to tug on your heartstrings. I also loved how each lifetime was slightly different so we really got to see the diversity, range, and versatility of the actors (honestly the FL's role did not change MUCH, but we truly got to explore Ding Yuxi's range and he aced every single one of his roles). I would say that this is one of the better xianxias I have watched and it uses lots of old tropes but it also offers a more refreshing twist on it, which I appreciated. So if you're tired of the typical xianxias but still want to watch a good xianxia, I think this show is definitely worth a shot.
I will now dive deeper into each lifetime, in chronological order, then in order of my preferred ranking. [Mild SPOILERS]
1. The animal lifetime
This was just hilarious. It lasted about half an episode because they were literally animals but it was so funny and entertaining to watch. This was here for pure humour, but it's also very touching when in the other lifetimes to follow, references were made to this lifetime through the mention of a pig and a tiger together (which were their animal reincarnations in this life).
2. The lifetime of Lu Chang Kong
I forgot the exact titles of their roles in this lifetime... but this was the longest one, lasting about 7 episodes. In this life, ML reincarnated without his memories while FL had hers intact. This is also the lifetime in which we could see the FL falling for the ML (well, and vice versa, but the ML fell for her as Lu Chang Kong, aka the name of his reincarnation in this life, not as his "original" identity, Chu Kong the God of War). This lifetime was cute and I enjoyed their interactions, but it was also very complex with the whole palace politics plotline etc. The first half was really cute, but the second half was just tragedy after tragedy and while I didn't cry per se, I did come very close to it. Also - this lifetime was my 2nd favourite look on Ding Yuxi.
3. The shifu/disciple lifetime
I LOVED this lifetime so much because we got to see the ML falling for the FL as himself, and the FL falling for him as her identity in this lifetime. Being around 6 episodes long, this lifetime was in many ways a role reversal of sorts from the previous lifetime since the ML had his memories and the FL did not. I also absolutely adored the side characters in this lifetime, the bromance between them was one of the best parts (if not THE best) of this lifetime. And in terms of styling, this lifetime was my 2nd favourite look on Yang Chaoyue.
4. The Princess/General lifetime
Honestly, this lifetime was not my favourite, but it was also one of the shortest, lasting around 3 episodes. The palace politics really didn't interest me at all and everything moved fairly quickly, given that they were only in this lifetime for a short while, and I was more than happy with that LOL. The best part of this lifetime was the brief body swap in the beginning, which lasted maybe around 1 episode? This really showed the acting and the range of the leads, and I think both did well but Ding Yuxi gave a more convincing performance - though that might also be in part due to the fact that MLs acting as FLs tend to be easier to showcase. Nonetheless, it was an entertaining watch and I was impressed with their acting skills, especially Ding Yuxi because he truly did a fantastic job acting as the FL. This was also the lifetime in which both of them had their memories. However, I did not care for the styling in this lifetime at all - it was probably the worst look for both leads, not that it was horrible, but it was nothing special.
5. The "original" lifetime, 30 000 years ago
This lifetime technically wasn't a reincarnation in the mortal realm, but they travelled back to 30 000 years ago [SPOILER] when they first met and fell in love. This plot point is typical of a xianxia so it really wasn't anything surprising and it was pretty predictable, but this was my FAVOURITE lifetime. Neither had their memories, but this lifetime was very sweet and I loved seeing them fall in love as their original selves/identities. The styling here was also immaculate - my 3rd favourite for both the ML and the FL, and both are a VERY close 3rd to my 2nd favourite styling of both of them. The plot got a little hurried in the end but I enjoyed this one so so so much. This lasted around 6 episodes too and I personally think that the leads had the best chemistry in this lifetime.
6. The demon lifetime
I loved this lifetime!! It was probably my 3rd favourite, purely for the styling and also to see Ding Yuxi's demon acting. He ATE this up I really cannot stress this enough - he reincarnated as a cat demon so watching his cat-like mannerisms was insane, the lazy drawl and the EYE ACTING, the slow drag of his feet and every action, the times where he actually acts like a cat... he really did so well and I would argue that this lifetime was the one where his acting shone through the most. This lasted maybe around 5-6 episodes? And the styling was IMMACULATE, top-tier, for both Ding Yuxi and Yang Chaoyue, he looked SOOOO good and she was STUNNING I almost collapsed with the face cards and costumes in this life. The visual of this lifetime is the strongest part of this lifetime (along with Ding Yuxi's acting, of course). Moreover, both the ML and FL had their memories.
7. The last lifetime
This lasted like 5 minutes and it really was just [SPOILER] a reunion of the two leads for their deserved happy ending, so I have nothing to say about this lifetime, except - the stylists gave up on Ding Yuxi here because WHO put him in that fugly bun?????!! His face card is lethally strong but nobody can pull that off please... the bun they should've put him in was the one they did in the 2nd lifetime because THAT ate, but this one was just not it.
Now in my preferred order...
1. The "original" lifetime, 30 000 years ago
2. The shifu/disciple lifetime
3. The demon lifetime
4. The lifetime as Lu Chang Kong
5. The Princess/General lifetime
6. The animal lifetime
7. The last lifetime
(5 & 6 are pretty close)
Honestly, if you don't watch this for anything else, do it for Ding Yuxi's face card and phenomenal acting. He really aced this role and I do not have a single negative comment on his performance. Yes, I might be biased because I love him, but I truly think he did an excellent, formidable job. I would recommend this drama if you're looking for a good xianxia that isn't entirely new but also isn't a copy-and-paste of all the other xianxias that came before it. I would also recommend it if you're a fan of Ding Yuxi, or if you like the reincarnation trope. The CGI is also pretty believable and many sets/scenes remind me a lot of Love Between Fairy and Devil, given that this show came from the same production company.
If you liked this show, do give Love Between Fairy and Devil a watch - I have a full review of that on my account too, it's my #1 favourite cdrama of all time. For more of Ding Yuxi, honestly he does an excellent job in all his shows, but his best one is Love Game in Eastern Fantasy for sure. I also recommend The Romance of Tiger and Rose and Melody of Golden Age. For Yang Chaoyue, this is the only show I've seen her in so I unfortunately don't have other recs but I'm looking forward to watching more of her shows and seeing her grow as an actress because she does have good potential.
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