The Eternal Love (2017)

a breath o fresh air, although a bit of a let down

I must say that I didn't start this drama with high expectations and almost dropped it because their outfits looked just so tacky and simply awful, but in the end, I decided to trust the reviews and pushed forward, and I'm really glad I did!
This was obviously a low-budget drama, and it's evident throughout the show, however, don't let the tacky outfits and really bad CGs put you off because it's really worth it.
FL and ML have great chemistry and although some aspects of the drama annoyed me off at first - like whenever Qu Tan'er's personality came through, and I couldn't help but wish her dead 'cause she was so bland, however, as time went by I came to really emphasize with her and wish for her happiness as well, that to say that even the parts that turned me off a little at first, made a full turn around and conquered me at some point.
The story here it's truly engaging and there are so many cute moments full of fluff between the main couple that I was fully satisfied.
However... the ending truly was a bit of a let-down, from episode 20 on forth, I didn't enjoy it as much and actually skipped some parts here and there. Here's the thing, the CG on this drama it's truly horrible and because of >reasons< FL and ML end up in the spiritual world with a whole new set of drama to deal with and which I didn't appreciate at all. Out of the blue we are hit with an amnesia plot and honestly, what for? I don't know, but then, the next 4 episodes are about this memory loss, ML injuring himself even further to recover said memories, and then we're trying to recover his health, because well, he is dying now. Honestly? I didn't think it was necessary, and specially so the actual ending. FL goes back to the modern world and ML goes with her, but honestly speaking? It would've been so much more satisfying if they had gone back to the world where they met, and their freaking son!!!! Which they seem to completely forget about by the end... Seriously, I can't help but feel frustrated at this part of the drama, because I would be completely devastated if after going through all that I still couldn't be able to go back to my child's side and raise them alongside the man I love... like??? Seriously??? It was better for them to go to her world and start it all over again, than to go back to the life they had already built together?? I don't think so, but ok.
But in the end, I must still agree it was a really nice drama and I loved it, I just could really make do without all the meaningless drama in the end.

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A bit of a feverdream

First things first: production and writing of this show is a mess. The first 3/4 of this show are nothing like the last part, it's like they are separate shows. And although I'm usually bored by court intrigues, I would've preferred that over this fantasy attempt that made my brain cells rot. Literally nothing made sense (I mean logic-wise, not the fantasy aspect) and at some points, the show felt like a fever dream. FL's actress was also quite bad. She is the kind of actress who needs to look pretty - she did not really cry but did this aesthetic crying which is so cringy to watch.
But in the beginning, I won't lie, this show had me hooked like meth for some reason. I could not stop watching and I liked that the relationship felt like how a married couple would behave. They did love each other and all misunderstandings were resolved quite fast, so you didn't have to suffer for too long.

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This is a very sweet love story. It has some politics, some fantasy and some mystery mixed into it. It's fun and sweet and it kept me watching til the very end. The chemistry between the lead couple is amazing. I like the present time female lead. She can be a bit loud at times, but she is very strong, smart and brave. She knows what she wants and what she should expect from a partner and won't take anything less than that. The male lead is a bit more serious, but when he falls in love he falls hard. I like that he falls in love with present-time girl. He likes how strange she is and doesn't dismiss her words or opinion like most males from that time would do.

The main couple grows to love and respect each other. They depend on each other and a very sweet together. The plot is entertaining, but as I said, it takes second place to the love story. It's only 24 episodes so some events are quite rushed and you can see the cut several scenes. However this is not necessarily a bad thing. Many C-dramas like to drag things on and watching becomes boring. I often skip episodes or fast-forward events. This drama doesn't suffer from that issue.

If you want to watch a simple love story, something that will make you disconnect from the world and believe in fairy tales for a few hours, this is the drama for you.

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has loving kiss scenes that make you melt

I was so intrigued by the storyline that I finished this in one day and I have to say it was time very well spent. I was looking for a historical romance with slices of comedy thrown in there and I was very pleased. (Though there are some scenes that require tissues so be prepared!)

The casting of the characters is on-point. The leads have amazing chemistry thus sweetening the kiss scenes and romance between them. The female lead actress is so talented because she managed to play two personalities and none of them seemed forced. It was just so natural. Rather than it showing her adapting right as she arrived, it was gradual. The constant mention of modern items and words adds another dimension to the female lead's character because it is exactly what I would do if I were to travel back in time as well. Yes, this show had a low budget but it never took away anything from the plot or experience. Round of applause to everyone! I also love and admire the portrayal of loyalty and friendship between the female lead and her maid.

On to season 2 I go :D

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The last half of the show went downhill, I enjoyed the first half tho despite how stupid the story was. The couple had chemistry and their relationship was fun to watch. It was refreshing. Even though this show is so unlogical, It just pulls you in and you get invested in the story. That's why I think this show has high ratings. It's like it's fan-made with a lot of swoon worry and cute moments. Things you want to happen happens...

Low-budget is really obvious. All the costumes are cheap. The special effects suck, everything about the villain was REALLY cringy and embarrassing. I felt like I was watching editing and scenes from really old dramas. A lot of things make no sense, for example: How can someone hit their head on a wall and die by suicide. Lower your IQ and don't question stuff, that's the only way to enjoy this drama. I just went with things. The FL is also spoiled, loud, sometimes annoying and her actions are selfish. She doesn't think about the consequences. In the last episodes, the FL got extra stupid. She has been in a world that isn't her own for 3 years and still can't grasp stuff? The Ml lead also forced kisses on her- didn't enjoy those. The episodes were also rushed and what's up with that cringy ending? I had to ask myself multiple times "wtf am I watching?" Other than that, I actually enjoyed this. But this isn't a drama you can take seriously.

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Overhyped

I thought I'd give this drama a try since so many people seem to enjoy it, but was extremely disappointed with the quality, so beware of the hype and set your expectations appropriately. I fast forwarded through the majority of this drama.

First off, production value. This is a very low-budget drama, so if you're coming to it from something with beautiful costumes, sets, props, and cinematography (like Nirvana in Fire, Rise of Phoenixes, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, etc.), the change is quite jarring. Much of my enjoyment of period/costume dramas is in the beauty of the costumes and settings, so I was already skeptical of the drama from the very first scene.

Plot-wise, I thought the premise was actually quite interesting - combination of time travel and sort of dissociative identity disorder - but in terms of why and how and what happens, I found the story execution kind of nonsensical and the plot goes way off the rails.

Characters - I know some people appreciate that the FL is feisty and independent rather than some kind of wilting flower, but whether due to writing or acting, I found her unlikable and too over the top, though I did appreciate how the actress portrayed 2 different personalities. I didn't like the ML all that much either. Or anyone else in the drama, come to think of it. Again, not sure if it's due to the writing or acting or both, but I found all the characters to be either too flat or too over the top.

At the end of the day, unfortunately, I couldn't suspend my disbelief that this was more than just actors on a set saying lines that someone wrote.

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Why did I finish watching this?!?

Honestly I don't know how I finished watching this. It was just ok for the majority of the show. Kind of felt barely interesting enough to keep watching. The production was pretty bad and seemed low budget. some of the acting was pretty good some was pretty bad. I felt myself pitying the "villain" more than enjoying the main couples love but they would pull out a scene that was just sweet enough to keep me watching at the right intervals. The last 4 episodes were a real turn off and I literally skipped sections while thinking wth the whole time just to get the gist of what was going on because I had already come to far to not at least see how it ends. Also If your not a fan of Wuxia and xianxia be aware that this somehow slowly turns from what seems like a normal palace drama to some sort of full on Wuxia/xianxia thing by the end. Which I admit I'm not a fan of so if you are you may enjoy it a little more than me...maybe.

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I marathoned this one over a few days.
This drama was cute. It's not one that I'll rave over, but it was short and fun to watch.

The cast mostly contains people who are new to acting, so they tended to over-act. But I was impressed by the leads, they had good chemistry and even though they were an unlikely couple, the lead actors made their love completely believable. They were shaky on the sweet scenes, but did a decent job.

The plot was simplistic, with just enough originality to spice the drama up a bit. The modern girl stuck in the past has definitely been done before, but modern girl trapped in another girl's body whose spirit keeps switching out with hers is definitely different. The solutions to problems were superficial but adequate.

Honestly, the best thing about this drama (besides the leads) was the music. The use of modern music in a historical drama made for an interesting contradiction that kept us in the female lead's head.

Overall, nothing amazing. "The Eternal Love" is a cute drama that you skip through on a weekend if you want some fun romance that's not too taxing on your emotions. I might rewatch the parts with the leads, but probably won't invest in the entire drama. I'm looking forward to what they do with season 2, though.

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I am surprised at rave reviews this series is getting. This is below average series in my opinion. Cinematography definitely shows lack of budget. In some scenes where there are flower pots you can literally see fake flowers. to me this story didn't make sense, ML is cute but the FL and her overacting in the name of coming from future is a killer. Too much fluff towards the end it became little better. It has taken me multiple sitting and coming back to complete this. I only watched it becoz i like period dramas with happy endings. If you just like period dramas skip it and don't waste your time.

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