Ashes of Love (2018)

I am the weird one...

Ok, I admit I am the weird one here because I don't like this drama so much. Once I watched it out of curiosity because million praises to the highest. I am not into super fluffy sweet surrender kind of love story, Yang Zi giggled and act in childish way, makes me want to slap her (get a grip, woman) Ok I know she supposed to act that way but it crawled my skin just to listen high pinch giggle in whole drama. Deng Lun and Leo Luo made story come alive, so much sadness from one sided love..so much aggravation from ambition...so much visual effect that kind of fake. So, I am not a fan, don't want to re access it. I don't watch Yang Zi since then. The positive note: I love the soundtracks.

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Lack of attention to details makes it hard to immerse in it

The story line is quite good, but not well rounded. The entire thing was written from the same perspective. Heroes are heroes and can do no wrong (even when they do, it's forgivable). Villains are villains and everything they do is wrong (even the good things they do are considered negative). There's also a very obvious good guy/bad guy. Everybody likes the good guy, and hates the bad guys.
With that said, it's very hard for viewers to hate the bad guy because of the very one-sided perspective of this drama resulting in very unfair treatment of the said bad guy. We feel that he is very unfairly treated so we root for him and can't hate him.
Acting is good but it's only acting after all. There are dramas where the actors are merely acting and then there are dramas where the actors become the character. This one is the former. Good acting, but not true to life. For example, a woman who does not know love doesn't mean she is childish. And a person who's about to die does not talk very fast and with the same usual energy. But, this could be a problem with the script or director, not actors, because these are reputable actors. And I suspect it's the director because there are scenes that are quite ridiculous. A character takes a leisure walk through a forest (seems quite careless and humming happily). All of a sudden she trips over an arm, she looks down and is shocked to see a forest full of dead bodies. Her acting was very good through the whole thing. But I ask, who in the world would walk through a forest of dead bodies without seeing one until you trip?
Overall the drama is very beautiful. But it's very unfortunate that it misses so many small details. For those who are only into the love story, they'll love it. It's a great love story. But it's a very modern love story that's very selfish. It's does not have any of the ancient values we know about. All that is thrown out of the window.
I gave up 3 times before I decided to come back and finish it. It's quite hard to immerse in it. Sometimes I succeed only to get pulled back to reality by another detail that's not true to real life, and I remember that I'm just watching a drama. Needless to say, has no rewatch value for me. (And I'm the person who watched Pride and Prejudice more than 10 times.)

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Stock up on tissues! Started off laughing and then cried my eyes out. This is a show you’ll definitely go back to watch again and again. I’ve done it twice already.

The only thing I didn’t like about this drama is that it spent too much time on secondary characters instead of the main couple. The mortal realm plot was my favorite, it was funny and sweet but a chunk of the time was also ate up with Mu chi’s story. In addition, although I loved learning the backstory for Run Yu, it still was way too much focus on him without giving the same detailed attention to the main character. I think Xu Feng was an under utilized character in the drama which is sad since the he is such a lovable character. They wasted screen time on unnecessary plot lines and rushed the ending.

My other issue with this drama is the ending. I maybe in the minority here but I found the ending a little underwhelming. After the emotional roller coaster we went through i would have loved to have seen a little more of happy couple time, a little more of the romance. I was curious to see, after everything they have been through, what kind of couple they would be.

My heart still aches for Xu Feng, I think he suffered worse than most. He paid the price for his parents mistake, his brothers ambition/vengeance and his loves betrayal. The actions of people around him caused so much pain. Although I believe Jin Mi also suffered for her actions it’s still not comparable to Xu Fengs’s.
As for Run Yu, I think that hateful fish got off way too easy.

Am I the only one disappointed that the last kiss we saw between Xu Feng and Jin Mi was the one where he pretended to be drunk in the demon realm? Huh- did not like that at all!

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Luo Yunxi makes this unbearable drama bearable

This was painful to watch. I wanted to give up by episode 15, but kept going because the reviews were high and some said it got better after episode 30. So i got to episode 35 and was about to give up, then read that it got better at episode 40. At episode 46, I gave up.

The only saving grace thus far has been Runyu's storyline and Luo Yunxi's terrific acting, but he can only carry this drama so far...

The love story is a mess...there was no love between the ML and FL. ML and his uncle basically manipulated the FL into "loving" the ML while the FL was engaged to Runyu. ML even had intimate relations with FL while FL was engaged. So sad and disgusting. ML was spoiled and used to getting everything he wants. FL was weak and annoying throughout.

At episode 15, i started playing with speed of 1.5x, by episode 30 i was fast forwarding and only stopping when Runyu's parts were shown. There is NO comparison to Ten Miles of Peach Blossom/Eternal Love. In TMOPB, both FL and ML experienced real hardship together and were willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good (saving people and the realm). Up to episode 46, the ML and FL in Ashes of Love had no love for the people/realm, other than themselves. Only Runyu was willing to go against a corrupt Heavenly Realm to save the ordinary people living in it.

Even though I watched it up to episode 46 for Runyu, I decided to stop and just watch another cdrama with Luo Yunxi in it. I'm sure any other drama with him as lead would be better than this.

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(Full, spoilerful review here: https://dramavixen.tumblr.com/post/178041972179/
I had a lot of fun with this one.)

Ooh, baby. Should’ve jumped aboard this hype train sooner because this is quite the ride.

From my perspective, Ashes of Love is the definition of a dark horse drama. It possesses a star cast with Yang Zi and Deng Lun at the top of the list, but its synopsis only lets on that this is a rather typical romance in which everyone happens to be dressed in layers of colored silk. And everything about it proves me wrong.

For all intents and purposes, the story of Ashes of Love is not the strongest I’ve seen. It’s fairly creative, but still incorporates the tropes of “aloof male lead,” “let’s kill the person that killed this person that I rather liked,” etc. However, the writing allows you to not mind any of those stereotypes as they surface because of how the characters grow and evolve in the grand scheme of things. Though set in a fantasy land of immortals, the struggles of every character in this story is poignantly human and wrenches at your heartstrings. I might even argue that the romance isn’t even the star plot of this show. While the main couple is very enjoyable to watch, my lasting impression lies with the revenge story of the second male lead—and I usually despise revenge stories.

But let me rave about the characters some more. Their success was half due to writing and half due to acting. May I shake the hand of the casting director; because I can’t remember the last time I was this impressed with every single actor. I entered for Yang Zi, but stayed for Yang Zi, Deng Lun, Luo Yun Xi (this guy makes me speechless and I could talk about only him for ten hours if someone would listen); even the “minor” characters add so much emotion to the story. The depiction of each individual is amazingly spot-on, whether it be in comedic moments or scenes that make you exhaust your tissue supply. You may be able to identify someone as good or bad; but you absolutely cannot point a finger at anyone and define them as purely one way or the other. That acknowledgement of a dual human nature is Ashes of Love’s true strength.

All things considered, I find it somewhat of a blessing that I charged into episode one with no knowledge of the emotion that was about to slap me in the face. It’s quite a pleasant (and heartbreaking) surprise when you get deeper and find that this isn’t just a pretty drama with pretty actors and pretty visuals. It is those things, too, but the value of Ashes of Love lies much further beneath the surface.

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This is definitely one of the best xianxia dramas out there.
Story-wise, I have to say it is quite unique in a way that JM could not love and did not know what love is due to Unfeeling Pill. This set the whole story different from others. The first part was really entertaining and funny and also created a base story for every angst and drama that happened later. Characters are really well-written - RY and XF's characters complement and contrast each other. JM's character development was also quite strong - from an naive innocent girl to a woman who would do everything for her love. I particularly like RY's character arc - how he became what he was - things that he did are not justifiable but understandable, I would say. I do think that the story took a bit too long in the first arc and also wasted a lot of time in the story of demon princess and MuCi.
Acting-wise, I liked all the three main leads. YZ is one of the actresses I look forward and she did a really great job portraying different emotions. She is such a versatile actress. JM's character would not have received so much love without YZ's acting skills. LYX also did a fabulous job in portraying such a complex character, RY, - from a quiet, gentle man to a man cold with hatred. I first noticed him in My Sunshine drama but didn't know he is that good. As for DL, I have never watched his dramas. He is also a good actor; his character was just outshined by YZ's and LYX's.
If you like xianxia genre, this is definitely the one to watch. Most would compare it with TMOPB; I don't want to because these two are two different dramas apart from the fact that they are in the same genre.

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As compared to all the top dramas - Eternal Love, Untamed etc, Ashes of Love might not have the best storyline but they definitely got the BEST production!! Costumes, CGIs, Soundtracks, backdrop, it is just amazing how a Cdrama can produce such quality of fantasy drama!

Next let's talk about storyline, I personally wouldn't recommend this to people who is looking for a comedy piece, because the entire series is just very saddening throughout, many twists and turns going on and on... I don't really like how the male lead fall madly in love to her so quickly when the female lead hardly done anything, it would have been better if they had more stories before the male lead is willing to sacrifice so much for her (which the second half of the show got better) That's why I think the show wasn't that appealing to me until the last 25 episodes where the climax of the story begins (If you have watched the series before you will definitely know which part I meant XD) I love those parts!

Besides that, I personally felt female lead's innocent acting in the front part wasn't that ideal, no doubt she was pretty good in crying scenes but not the very front part where she was a grape sprite, I know she was supposed to not have any love feelings, but her acting was a bit off TBH, not so natural. But she really pull off the heartbreaking scenes though, that part needs to give her a huge credit.

I wouldn't want to rewatch probably because the main leads are just too miserable haha, but it was a good piece overall, worth watching!

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Just Simple Word for this Drama.! it is pure masterpiece believe it or Not this can catch up with eternal love Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms otherwise u know how great this drama was.! I dont need to write long review and tells about plots/story.! but yeah Of cause The cast did really amazing Job here all of them were superb..for me it is 10/10 100%..and also if u wanna watch pure love story then this is for u..and get ready tissue pocket Cause u will cry a lot..as I did.! but before watching its up to u if u wanna read novel first or Not! cause I start watching it first before reading novel cause I have heard that there is changes from novel.! so I drctly start watching it

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Although this drama is 63 episodes long but it’s worth it! Not boring at all. Gotta say, I can’t get enough of it. If you’re looking for beautiful historical/wuxia, deep true love, mature love, great ost, great acting skill, interesting storyline type of drama then this one is for you! But get 10 plies of tissue prepared because you’ll need it, trust me.

The actors did a really great job expressing their emotions. The ost of this drama are so touching and emotional. Everything about this drama is great except for the fact that it broke my heart too many times ?? I didn’t expect so many tragic events would happen. But somehow, those tragic events are what made this drama speacial. It showed what true love is and it carries deep meaning.

I didn’t sleep for so many nights just to watch this drama. I’ve watched hundreds of drama but this never happened before. This drama just kept me hooked up. I just finished it this morning but now I’m missing it a lot.

I waited for months for this drama to air because of my favorite actor, Deng Lun, is the male lead. But it’s worth the wait.

Give it a try y’all. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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Ok drama

Chinese Drama

Spoiler Alert !!!!. I'm struggling watching this Drama. The first 7 Episodes give you the history and introduced you the character. Now at Episode 20 I would think the FL would have matured a bit. She went to earth realm for her trial and she was basically mirroring what she did in the first few episodes. Next she seems clueless as if she doesn't have mind to think because she has that implant in her heart....the second Male lead is always one step ahead which is boring because he is secretly manipulative and acts all nice. I will try to finishing it probably next year some time lol! ....I finished watching it . Overall I give it a fair ratings. I didn't like the ending very much . I think the Phoenix should have remained a powerful ruler even to the end. He carried that powerful image right through the drama. Yet at the end he seems to have lost that image which was his true identity. There was some gripping moments. Note : This Drama should not be compared to Eternal love. It lack that mature romance. I felt like they were teenagers even when they should have shown some form of maturity. Like Susu and Yuwa.

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Was I supposed to root for the protagonists?

Started watching this because it appeared on Netflix, and the first episodes were an easy watch. I didn't have many expectations of the drama, since I hadn't watched the drama this one is being compared to, either. Suffice to say, I hated it.

-JINMI: Although I do understand that Jinmi was meant to be innocent and unable to love, I think there's a thin line in these dramas between being innocent and being stupid or lacking in any kind of reaction. I don't know if it's the script or the actress, but there were moments where characters were discussing something important, and Jinmi had little to no reaction to what was being said. It would make sense if she didn't understand shit, but even in situations where she understood the context, there was no reaction. It felt mostly like monologues designed as dialogues, and it made me feel like the protagonist didn't have much protagonism, especially in the first 20 chapters. When she is goes to the Mortal Realm, we're not privy to her real difficulties, and, with that, we, the viewers, cannot see her development, both emotionally and in skills, which left me, personally, unsatisfied. In the last stretch, it's just fabricated drama of why she can't be with Xufeng, to the agonize over him in repetitive scenes that add nothing. In short, she was a boring female lead. There is nothing wrong with innocent protagonists who develop over time, but Jinmi was not it.

- XUFENG: I disliked this character quite a lot. Not only was he extremely privileged, he seemed uncapable of seeing it. Acting like a boy with a crush, he didn't seem to care nor understand that Jinmi was uncapable of loving or that she was unaware of gender differences due to the way she had been isolated. The drama tries to paint him as this heroic, romantic lead, but many of his choices are... well, not heroic. When he goes to the Mortal Realm, and decides to die to be with Jinmi, did he ever think of all the people he was damning by dying? No, because him (or the writer) do not care about anyone other than our protagonists. Everyone else's suffering is secondary to them. He expected people to forgive his parents when they had been extremely vile, and he always acted holier-than-thou. He didn't have an interesting background or story, and he was quite boring, though less boring than Jinmi.

-RUNYU: I liked him a lot more on the principle of developing sympathy over what he had gone through. His character development was far more interesting, even when he became obssessive and resentful. I could see where this came from, and as he did stupid shit, you could understand why he did what he did, and it made him far more compelling of a character. In general, I felt more for him because of the obvious bias everyone had, not just for our protagonists, but for the Emperor and Empress as well. Nobody cared that the Emperor and Empress had done extremely vile things. Instead, almost all our secondary characters blamed Runyu for trying to find justice for his mother and for his family. This is why I felt that the writers themselves only cared about our protagonists suffering, regardless of any other person that suffered, which made me dislike the drama more and more.

In terms of plot the plot was absolutely vapid. You could tell were the plot was going, and it was nothing of innovation. There were stupid conveniences that saved our protagonists from having them go through actually interesting happenings. For example, Jinmi (in the Mortal Realm) had to choose between saving her family and serving the King. It was something hard and impactful, and it made me feel for her because it's a lose-lose situation no matter what. But then, the choice she makes doesn't even matter, because magically her family was already protected and she could do what she wanted to do. It made the drama of Jinmi finding it hard to choose asinine, because the plot resolved everything for her anyway. There were many, many scenes that could have been cut because they added nothing to the story. I spent hours with characters I didn't give a shit about because they weren't even relevant to the plot for 2/3 of the drama (like the Demon Realm Princess) or just in general were barely relevant. This drama could have been cut down to 20 episodes, and it would have been able to have tighter storytelling and less meandering around in order to fill time.

However, if there is anything I did like, it was the drama with the protagonists parents. In fact that was the most interesting subplot I saw. I was actually interest in their past, and especially when everyone discovered the truth, how would that affect the present. However, the plot ended quickly, and it almost affected nothing, because at the end of the day nobody did anything regarding what had happened with Jinmi's mom.

The costumes and sets were beautiful, and a pleasure to watch. The CGI is bad, but when you compare to other Chinese dramas, this one's okay. I liked the opening theme.

In terms of acting, I honestly didn't feel the main actress all that much. She did best in her crying scenes, but everything else was dull. The actress for Xufeng's mom used exaggerated gestures that seemed more theatrical than anything else. It would have made more sense if everyone had that direction, but it was obvious it was only her that overacted (it was funny sometimes, though). Everyone else was in various shades of okay.

Overall, if you're bored and want to watch something without thinking too much, this is it. If you're looking for a tighter plot or more interesting characters, watch something else.

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