Reviews

An Epic Premiere That Exceeded My Expectations

After watching Episodes 1 and 2, I can confidently say that this drama has exceeded my expectations. You can watch Ash on Youku or YouTube, with Episode 1 available for free. And despite the “Miniseries” tag, this definitely does not feel like a typical miniseries. Episode 1 is around 50 minutes long, while Episode 2 is around 45 minutes, so we are getting a proper full-length viewing experience.And WOW, what an epic premiere! I already had a feeling Ash was going to be good after watching the trailer, but the first two episodes completely sold me. This drama gives us everything in one package: action, crime, romance, police investigations, undercover work, fighting, suspense and intense chemistry.We have Hui Leuk Tou, our CEO, and our undercover police officer, who takes on different identities throughout the story. During his undercover operation, the police officer goes by Cheung Wai Keung, complete with dyed hair and a completely different appearance. Once the operation is over and he returns to his life as a police officer, he takes on the identity of Mok Fei Foon.I LOVE this dynamic because it genuinely feels like we are watching two different versions of the same character. The change in his appearance, personality and circumstances makes him so much more interesting to watch, and I’m really curious to see how these different sides of his character develop as the story continues.

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A Clever Use of Perspective and Emotion

One of my favourite emotional moments was when the two finally reunited in the alley after being apart and missing each other. I also really enjoyed how the drama plays with perspective. At the end of Episode 1, we experience the events through Hui Leuk Tou’s eyes, while Episode 2 begins by showing the same situation from Mok Fei Foon’s point of view. I thought this was such a clever storytelling choice because it allows us to understand what both men were going through and how they were feeling, rather than simply seeing the story from one side. The flashbacks also add another layer to the story, gradually revealing more about their relationship and providing context for everything that has happened between them.

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the plot twisttt

honestly, this episode in the beginning, on the dinner table when luqing tried to buy or whatever he was treing to do by offering the Lus money on the term of cutting off all ties with xiaofan was big time questionable. I also hate lu xiaoping who is nothing but a greedy rat he literally doesn't care about anything but money, to the extend that he was willing to sell his own brother to the Beis. Now, i understand that this was probably(actually, definately) a plan xiaofan made and that he actually wanted to cut ties with them (I'm not sure about this one), but still as someone who doesn't know about the plan and someone who claim to be his family, the Lus agreed rather quickly o sell him off and the fact that only one having a conscience was his mother (not just this episode but throughout the series) this says a lot about the family itself. Now coming to the Beis, the dad was quit polite, and i felt so good seeing that luxin is finally having a proper conversation with lu xiaofan, not to mention that she and her dad finally agreed to the divorse so xiaofan can live freely out of that hell. Yes, luxin treated him rather badly and the reason both the families agreed to the divorse proposal by xiaofan was problly so he cuts all ties with bei luqing, but still hes now free and work on his own accord. now, coming to the plot twist, WDYM!! Xiaofan actually made use of his connections with the beis and made fortunes he proved all the people who looked down on him for being useless wrong. He literally milked bei luqing TT. And the fact that he had friends overseas and cutting ties with everyone and going to france waws a part of his plan all along, making luqing suffer such heavy losses and losing a fortune, was such a smart move by him to provoke bei luqing to go out and found him ASAP. coz he knew he wouldnt come out, looking for him if he just left. The person we all thought is very naive and is being treated very unfairly by life, being looked down by everyone around him is suffering, was actually a wolf in disguise(is it right to call him that?), he literally shocked me this episode because of what he did, So, were we worrying about the wrong person all along? i dont think so, yes, he milked the Beis to make a fortune abroad, yes, he did a plan to leave the Beis and teh Lus and settle abroad. but that does not erase the fact that (1) he was once sold by his family to a rich family when they knew he would not fit there just for dowry, (2) the house he married in never accepted him as son in law, his role was reduced to a servant and a charity case by his in laws, (3) not to mention that luxin literally called him to a party just to make fun of him while drunk and the same night getting raped by luqing (i dont remeber any consent being involved, and if it was an implcit-idk but he was druged and luqing already all over him, even nodding will count as a consent for luqing at that time, just looking seductive does not give consent, not to forget he was in that condition because of the drug luxin's friend fed him so wtvr), (4) even when xiaofan and luqing were tight and lived together, luqing didnt exactly show his love or problly even acknowledge him if it did not concern his body, food or some family favour, he was quite aloof and tried to buy everything with money, (5) luqing's ex literally kicked him out of the house and luqing didn't even contact him even once after he left!!! (6) if all this was not enough, Xiaofan had to find out about luqing's fiance from a third person, like, bro didn't not even consider telling about this to xiaofan if he really "loved" him, (7) this episode when they came out to the family in the worst way possible(even though it was a scheme), this man out of all things says that he will deal with him later and leaves, acts as cold as possible and totally refused to talk to him, what exactly do you mean sirrr. BRO, I GET IT THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO BE NONCHALANT, BUT LUQING, ITS DONE BRO TT, (8) only to make everything worse, ths man tries to buy xiaofan from the Lus in exchange of the loses that occured to them because of him. So yeah, life treated him pretty harsh so if he actually milked somthing out of it, i really admire him, he absolutely deserved it. because life cannot always be unfair like that bro, and that was also a slap at xiaoping's face for everytime he looked down on him, if they ever meet again.

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Growing closer through hardships

I knew there would be a lot of hardship for both of them, but I just love watching how they get through it all with each other's support and grow closer with every hurdle they encounter. 🤗He loves her and hopes to hear those words from her, and she definitely loves him too, but she never really thinks of her feelings that way. 🥹They both want to marry each other, yet she offers only benefit and convenience while all he wants is a relationship built on love. If only they both knew they already love each other... I guess we'll have to wait for the marriage until she realises what's in her heart and says it out loud, otherwise Ling won't even dare to assume it. He said it himself — he thinks he reads too much into things. 🥺But what surprised me the most was Madam Zuo. Whipping half-naked men... Is she a dominatrix or something? 🫣😳

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Final showdown with Hatoyama

This episode had an excellent battle where we finally get some answers. Qi figured out that 6 species could handle the black sand and mutate. All these combined materials Changsheng made into pills that mutated humans. The Otherworld patriarch was willing to sacrifice cities of people to accomplish his methods. This was foiled by the woman with the lustrous hair. She saw the fallacy of his methods and that it wasn’t magic but the mutations and distorted memories that made it seem supernatural. She wrote out how to destroy it all for good after consuming all the remaining pills. XiaoYu was given the job to get Qi to safety. Wu and Huo were tk find the fruit if the morning glory and Zhang was to take on Hatoyama so that he would not be the first to get to the sand. Huo and Wu saw what had happened with the failed method attempt and found the lady’s message. After burning her hair the area collapsed and they found themselves in the river where they discovered Qi and XiaoYu. One other reveal while underground was Zhang;s orders from the ministry of war to destroy the mystic nine. Underground Zhang was taking in the soldiers that can’t die and was happily surprised when unit 401 came to assist. Here there was much sacrifice as Zhang shared how to kill them for good by getting the tendons and back of neck stabs. They used grenades and other explosives to take them out yelling their names for Zhang to remember. When his ring activated, the tattoo kicked out the sand in his system and let him kill off the enemy troops. He knew Wu and Huo had successfully purged the fruit of the flower when the sand started disappearing and Hatoyama’s men dropped like flies. Perfect time to take Hatoyama out for good. He realized no sand in his little gold vial as he clicked away with no results. Zhang showed him another use for it.😝👏🏻 He then did a beautiful finishing move that annihilated the Japanese plan to use the sun-moon sand. On riverbank Wu and XiaoYu wanted to go rescue Zhang but Qi said Zhang gave a military order that none should return to look for him. After an explosion they lost hope but saw an exhausted Zhang being assisted by the remnant of unit 401 that still lived. This episode gave us a lot of answers and a satisfying ending to Hatoyama and his elite soldiers. The threat of the sand has been eliminated at its source with no pills left to mutate humans or ability to feed the tower to continue the cycle. The tower and Japanese have been defeated and it just remains to be seen if Zhang will follow his military order concerning the mystic nine. I am hoping there is a way to fake their deaths and have them disappear to wherever they choose to go.

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Thank god the stupid 'unrequitted' plots are over

Finally, the show put the dagger in both of the 'unrequited love interest plot lines. Both the unhealthy one by Li Man -- who was constantly manipulating and interfering in Lu Jin's life -- and the mostly benign but distracting one in Cheng Ziqian who seems like a nice guy but is, well, too boring and totally 'friend zone' material only. Both have been sidelined and removed from the table. Now the story and the couple can move forward with the hard work of actually building a strong relationship that can overcome the obstacles still in front of them. That's always the best part of a romance drama. Time wasted on 'love triangles' is time wasted on people who aren't part of the romance.

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