Love and Destiny (2019)

A gem among thousands of fantasy cdramas

my favourite Chinese drama and the only long c-drama besides the untamed that I've finished watching.

plot 9 : I lost my interest after ling xi's death, I felt she was so wronged and hated jiu chen. the rebirth was weird to me. but the plot overall wasn't bad so I continued watching. plot has some lackings unfortunately but overall it's pretty solid compared to all other dramas I'll say.

acting : 10 Ni Ni and Chang Chen y'all. are you kidding me with less than 10? also the rest of the cast- li dong xue (jing xiu), zhang zhi xi (qing yao), leo li (yun feng), Hai ling (yuan tong), na guang zi (shi san), Patrick zhang(si ming), guan xin (bao qing) and everyone else acted well,everyone deserves praise. thanks to their good acting I didn't cringe (ok I did, a li'l bit very few times) which happens for me in most cdramas.

there are many parts I want to point out of the drama and the actors.

1.Ni ni's slow speech after gaining ability to speak and still being awkward with it 👏👏👏 As after rebirth initially she was deaf and so she couldn't speak. brilliant acting as lin mo by Ni Ni. I was very very impressed,also because of Lingxi and lin mo's kindness, selflessness and good nature. it's not typical dumb girl bs. ling xi was playful yet kind but when she was reborn as ling xi, she became more calm and confident. I just loved how ni ni portrayed all these changes for her characters. you can just see how detailed her acting is! Can't fall for her more.

2. Chang Chen's acting is good. I gotta check out more of his works.
Jiu chen loved Ling xi and showed it through his actions rather than vocalising it but mf never says anything important to ling xi when he SHOULD.
he blossoms peach flower, peaches in the tree he planted/created in the house ling xi is staying at knowing that she loves it. he keeps remembering his days with ling xi... I get that he cares about ling xi, he loves her BUT how do you explain constant lying to her and leaving right before wedding while ling xi knows nothing? she'll move on?really? every freaking single time he makes decisions by himself that includes ling xi. always lying to her, hiding everything from her, playing with her feelings, forcefully kissing her and all the empty words, I just can't like this ML... even if he does lingxi favors he ends up upsetting her as well.
0/10 for ml for me no matter how much he did for her,for a god that old he should have had more decisive and strong personality. also jiu chen makes her feel betrayed during her last breath every freaking time, just explain it to her or leave her alone!!! the forceful kissing need to be gone from dramas. it's really really not cute, I hated every fckn kiss from jiu chen to ling xi and lin mo.

3. Jing xiu... I actually quite liked him. sad that he turned out to be evil by the end of the drama. but it's true that he was always a shrewd person even with his occassional nice personality. his and ling xi's friendship was cute though... hated when he killed ling xi's mother and bao qing...also his underling killed hua yan. I was on his side till then but after that, he was officially evil beside yuan tong,for me.

4.I hated when the two men kept pushing themselves on ling mo in the name of proving themselves to her and how uncomfortable they made her feel with their constant tricks and manipulations. not cool. don't like it. LET HER DECIDE whom she wants, don't pressurise her!!!

5. Yuan tong character was quite impressive, till the end she was vicious. I thought probably she'll stop scheming but no, she didn't. even after losing her immortal bones. her acting, expressions were good. feel bad for her brother though who wanted good for her, she actually got many chances to redeem but she kept on being how she is. kinda feel bad how she turned out in the end..

6. qin yuan and bao qing's moments were cute but short lived. sadly. all these unfortunate pairs were the essence of this drama. Coke Lee (sang nan) was good as well. like ling xi and her mothers reunion was also very sad as how short it was.

7. Qing yao was a solid female character in the drama,loved her. zhang zhi xi acted very well. her and yun feng's chemistry was good. their brother, cheng yan was good too!

the ost's are so so beautiful especially the one's by zhang bichen and Jane zhang!!! the bgm timings was perfect. I loved it.

This drama, the actors were robbed!! can't believe the drama and Ni Ni didn't get any award!!! also the supporting characters deresved awards as well.

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Took me forever to really get into this drama. It starts out really slow, I feel like it could've been condensed a lot. The last 20 episodes are probably the best. I almost dropped the drama a few times because of how slow it was going.

The love story is good, the second couple is probably my favorite. The main couple love story took so long and wish it showed more lovey stuff in the beginning. The acting is good, and I like all the characters in the drama. Felt like the ending could've gone a little longer. I wanted to know what happened after the end. The main bad guy didn't seem that bad honestly, the other bad guy, yeah I get it.

Overall very slow paced. Just read a background story of the drama watch just the cute episodes of the couples &. The. Skip til midway til it gets a bit more interesting.

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If you like fantasy of gods and love... this series is pretty much what the title is. Actually remind me a lot of 10 miles of Peach Blossom ... but in a way this story is better written as a series. The story and characters.... and the supporting characters... are better arranged. The script is also better written.... there isnt much a rang on moment in the series. The intro was short and sweet and it grip you from the very first episode. The conflicts and the way that relationships develops are really great. There is a lot of good moments from the very start to the end. Plots and the way it falls into place was good timing too. Even though you see a lot of these type of series around, its actually really hard to have a good finish product like this series. This is a good journey worth your time.

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"I firmly believe that there is a way to resolve this."

Love and Destiny was a charming Chinese drama, and the most philosophically robust I've seen so far. Yet, this drama casts a more fascinating moral dilemma. The main actress, born half heaven goddess and half mountain goddess, is raised by her uncle who never told her the truth about her birth. Being born during the great demon war, as an infant she was separated from her parents during the chaos, only to become victim to the Demon Lord himself. In the Demon Lord’s last act before being defeated by the gods, he infected this infant baby girl with a curse that will allow him to resurrect through her body.

Only one man was a witness to the Demon Lord’s last curse, yet this witness was struck with 50,000 years of being crystallized into ice by his injuries during the war. The infant goddess now grown up, no one is aware of the secret curse contained within her body. This witness reclaims his status as God of War, and inadvertently falls in love with this blossoming goddess. Eventually the clues start lining up and every god in heaven believes that she must be executed before the Demon Lord can resurrect and begin his murderous atrocities once again. God of War must decide if collective peace is worth the execution of the woman he loves.

Episode 20 delves into a philosophic debate between God of War and his esteemed master, the Heavenly Supreme Lord. His master, emanating wisdom in his age and visage, exhorts God of War to do the right thing and allow his lover to be executed in order to safeguard the wellbeing of the masses. God of War stubbornly rejects his proposal, anxious to find another way.

Heavenly Supreme Lord tells God of War that he has already meditated on this problem for ages, constantly in spiritual communion with heaven and earth, and has been unable to find another way. God of War, embracing deontology, explains that the goddess is completely innocent and does not deserve such a harsh punishment. Heavenly Supreme Lord, embracing consequentialism, explains that no one wants her to die, it's just that her fate necessitates it – how can we accept the deaths of the majority in order to spare the minority?

God of War rejoins with the fact that if he can’t protect the goddess, how can he have the audacity to protect the masses? Heavenly Supreme Lord replies, “If you knew that the welfare of all living creatures depended upon your death, would you be willing to die for them?” God of War naturally agrees that he is willing to take this heroic action for all creatures. His master then ensnares him with, “If it's okay for you to die for the welfare of all creatures, why can’t she die for the welfare of all creatures??” God of War now unable to respond, Heavenly Supreme Lord helps him enter a meditative state where he too can become connected with heaven and earth in order to search for a solution.

In episode 21, Heavenly Supreme Lord surrounds God of War with meditation rocks, which send him into a virtual world where he sits at the bottom of a deep well.

HEAVENLY SUPREME LORD:
“Everything in this world has balance in numbers. You cannot force something. You have confusion in your mind, yet you are unable to resolve it. It has pushed you to be trenched deep in the mud, unable to find a way out. You only see what your eyes see, limited by the layout before you. If you observe the sky from within the well, how can you appreciate its vastness? Is the sky only that which you see from within the well? Is the sky that you cannot see not worthy of being considered sky?”
~ Heavenly Supreme Lord is telling God of War to stop being so narrow-mindedly focused on only his lover (the sky within the well), and forget about the welfare of all creatures (the sky outside the well).

GOD OF WAR:
“Even if I, your disciple, am within that well, how could I not know how vast the sky is? The layout may indeed cover my eyes, but it cannot cover the entire sky. I observe the sky within my heart. I have the world in my chest. The sky is the sky. It does not differ whether I am inside or outside of the well. No matter where I am, if I am missing just a little fragment, it is not complete. Dare I ask Respected Master, this incomplete sky, can it still be considered the sky?”
~God of War is emphasizing the fact that if he loses a fragment of the sky (his lover), then he has still failed to protect the sky.

HEAVENLY SUPREME LORD: *Magically carries him out of the virtual well and towards the top of a virtual waterfall.*
“One place, one law. There is order in laws, each order has its principles. All creatures have a yin and yang. If you go against the right path, you will never understand one of them. You should think and weigh the importance. Abandoning all of heaven and earth, just for one drop of falling water, is it worth it?”

HEAVENLY SUPREME LORD: *Magically carries him away to a dusty desert (symbolizing the destruction of all water for a drop)*
“Destroying the world, just for one wrong split-second decision. Since the world is destroyed, how can there still be any falling water? Is that not foolish?”
~ Heavenly Supreme Lord tries to help God of War see how horrible the world will be if he focuses on just the one water droplet.

GOD OF WAR:
“I have never thought of destroying a portion of the world. And I will not allow part of the world to be destroyed because of me.”

HEAVENLY SUPREME LORD:
“This is a deadlock that cannot be resolved. Don't you see?”

GOD OF WAR: - *Tao Te Ching (老子) Religious text “万物负阴而抱阳充气以为和”*
“I do not. I firmly believe that there is a way to resolve this. All creatures have yin and yang. Even if you walk against the right path, they will eventually converge. Yin and yang may contradict, but naturally flow towards harmony. What I am after is that harmony.”

God of War sits on the deontological side of the philosophic trolley problem, stubbornly insistent on “honoring” his value for life by never allowing it to be harmed unjustly. Heavenly Supreme Lord sits on the consequentialist side, adamant that “promoting” the value for life is more important. God of War is focused on minimizing his involvement with death. Heavenly Supreme Lord is focused on maximizing the welfare of lives. After bantering back and forth, God of War decides to have faith that a synthesis is available. Instead of having to sacrifice one trolley track for the other, he wants to find a way to save both trolley tracks. The rest of the drama explores how God of War attempts to resist this fate in a variety of ways, with tragedy on the horizon if he fails.

More reviews: https://transcendentphilos.wixsite.com/website/post/the-philosophy-of-chinese-dramas

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Nice drama

The plot revolves around the war god and a fairy born with demonic miasma.
Chang Chen as Jiu Chen really impressed me with his acting skills.Though not initially,in the latter episodes,his acting was excellent!
Ni Ni performed well in her role.
The scenes were well written.
Cinematography was very good.
CGI, costumes were good.
All the cast were apt.I felt the drama was executed smoothly without any unnecessary loopholes.Also,i liked how the different characters in the drama were connected to each other and how everything got into place after so many years.
A must watch costume drama.

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Love & Destiny, it was a great story and the idea of love over 3 generations was intriguing. I picked it up because of the acting and all of the cast did an amazing job. The first life story I really enjoyed and was glued to the screen, after that the second life story I found myself skipping through the episodes as it was dragging on and the plot didn't seem to be going anywhere half the time. The 3rd life and the ending was wonderful, it made the drama worth watching. I wish the middle had been shorter or the "tribulations" had been more intense, she didn't really suffer too much I thought. Not compared to other characters from other dramas such as Princess Agents. Overall it was fun to watch and I'd recommend it for any fantasy romance lovers.

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I like love stories so may be the reason why I like the drama

Everything was good in the drama ,view of the scenes ,acting of each and every characters . What I did not like the ending because after so many ups down at last they get together so according to my vie this drama need one more episode.
It was the story of the girl who absorbed some evil power due the reason she had to die but somehow the male protagonist save her life and hide her and secretly care for her but to save her in the end he sacrificed his life this shown at the last episode of the drama ,story was not end in this part but still some scenes were which I will not disclose it. , Yes not happy with the ending. This drama had happy ending or not for this just watch it.

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Great production Drama!

This drama is definitely one of those that I watched because of the production team and casts. The first time I saw the trailers for this drama, I felt some type pf excitement because it's similar to Ten Miles of Peach Blossom (one of my favorite) and was also produced by the same team. This drama was highly produced in all aspects. The costumes, CGI's, and casts.
I really like the two main leads, Ni Ni and Chang Chen are some of my favorite actress and actor. Their characters Ling Xi and Jiu Chen's story is definitely an emotional one. The romance wasn't so long for it to happen, but the time of Ling Xi being a mortal was a little bit too long for me. I wanted to see her be a goddess longer than her mortal self. Other than that, Jiu Chen is a cold but romantic man, he truly love Ling Xi and is willing to do anything for her survival.
The plot was good but there should've been more to it. However, it didn't disappoint me because of the great cast and their acting connecting to their characters. It has similar setting and creatures like TMOPB. It has great chemistry between the lead, powerful male lead, and strong female lead. But then again, not a big fan of the mortal arch, I felt like it was dragged for too long when it could've ended a little early. Regardless, the ending was very good since our main leads found happiness together. I also really like the side couples such as Qing Yao and Yun Feng. Their love story began a little bit bitter but they found their way around and I think that's a great way to depict a different type pf romance.
The costumes of this drama is just phenomenal. Ling Xi's outfits really depict the presentation of a young goddess and Jiu Chen's outfits is mature but fit for a God of War. The outfits for the Shanling tribe is also dark but beautiful, it doesn't look totally evil since the Queen wasn't an evil one. The hairstyles were simple but with a little of bling to it, which doesn't look overbearing or too much. The CGI's looks pretty good to me, it's definitely at the level of a high production drama, which is very expected from me.
Now the OST's is probably what make this drama so emotional. At every scene of love or lost, we get a song that goes well with the scenes. Definitely one of my favorite thing in this drama.
Onto one of the very popular conversations between the people who watched this drama, the male lead is definitely an older one and some people don't find him handsome or attractive. However, I believe that people overlooked the fact that the role of the God of War is someone who is over many thousands of years old. He is a man who went through many calamities. He isn't someone who is young and inexperienced like Ling Xi. To me Chang Chen is a very attractive man and great actor, he plays the role of the God of War really well. You'll just have to continue watching to see his potential and values as an actor playing this role.
Overall, I really like this drama and many things about it. It has great romance and the casts is amazing. I really recommend it to those who like TMOPB or Love and Redemption.

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Good Xianxia, but if the producers took the same recipe as TMOPB, they somehow missed the sauce

Really good Xianxia, spinoff of Eternal love of dream and with the same vibe.

PLOT:
The FL, a young immortal bird, runs away and lands in the Immortal Sea where the ML, God of War, has been "frozen" for 50,000 years. She wakes him up (but also wakes up the sealed Demon God). Intrigued, he will keep her by his side, fall in love, and do everything to protect the FL whose identity is unclear. All this in the midst of rivalries (love and power) within the celestial world, and various attempts to free the Demon God.

PROS:
+ A duo of great actors in CL. Chang Chen is perfect for his God of War character and Nini has just the right amount of candor for the young FL.
+ Lots of endearing 2dary characters. some are there for the touch of humor. It's good, but not as successful as in TMOPB.
+ The CGI, the sets, the costumes are sumptuous.
+ The OSTs fit the atmosphere well.
+ The rhythm keeps the viewer hooked to their screen.
=> The series had everything to make it a Masterpiece...

BUT:
- Just like TMOPB, the beginnings are promising. But the screenwriter gets lost along the way!

Indeed, there are 3 major narrative arcs:
Ep. 1-23: celestial world
Ep 24-49: mortal world (too long & draggy! I've skipped a lot during episodes 35-44-48)
This 2nd narrative arc takes up way too much space, in an unnecessary and boring way. The pace becomes slow, with no real development of the story, just to show Jingxiu's evolution in (too much) detail.
Ep 50-60: return to the Celestial World.
This last arc, too brief, is quite poorly written, full of inconsistencies and plotholes. Yuangong regains (demonic) power even though she is only a mortal; How can a new Demon God appear so quickly, without anyone noticing? ; Who can seal the Gate to Hell and how? How does the ML return from hell?
There is a Happy Ending (like TMOPB) but this finale is too hasty, almost botched.

=> The producers took the same recipe, but somehow missed the sauce. It remains a very good Xianxia, ​​but not a Masterpiece.

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TB Xianxia spinoff de Eternal love of dream et avec la même vibe.

PLOT:
La FL, jeune immortelle oiseau, fugue et atterrit dans la Mer Immortelle où le ML, Dieu de la guerre est "congelé" depuis 50 000 ans. Elle le réveille (mais réveille aussi le Dieu Démon). Intrigué, il va la garder à ses côtés, tomber amoureux, et tout faire pour protéger la FL dont l'identité n'est pas claire. Tout cela au milieu des rivalités (love et pouvoir) au sein du monde céleste, et des tentatives diverses pour libérer le Dieu Démon.

PROS:
+ Un duo de grands acteurs en CL. Chang Chen est parfait pour son personnage de Dieu de la Guerre et Nini a juste ce qu'il faut de candeur pour la FL jeune.
+ Beaucoup de personnages 2aires attachants. certains sont là pour la touche d'humour. C'est bon, mais pas aussi réussi que dans TMOPB.
+ Les CGI, les décors, les costumes sont somptueux.
+ Les OST s'accordent bien à l'atmosphère.
+ Le rythme tient le spectateur accroché à son écran.
=> La série avait tout pur en faire un Masterpiece...

MAIS:
- Sur le même plot que TMOPB, les débuts sont prometteurs. Mais le screenwriter se perd en route !
En effet, il y a 3 grands arcs narratifs :
Ep. 1-23 : monde céleste
Ep 24- 49 : monde mortel (Bcp bcp trop long & draggy !! Zapping 35-44-48)
Ce 2nd arc narratif prend beaucoup beaucoup trop de place, de façon inutile et ennuyeuse. Le rythme devient lent, sans réel développement de l'histoire, juste pour montrer en détails (trop) l'évolution de Jingxiu.
Ep 50-60 : retour Monde Céleste.
Ce dernier arc, trop bref, est assez mal écrit, plein d'incohérences et de plotholes. Yuangong regagne du pouvoir (démoniaque) alors qu'elle n'est plus qu'une mortelle ; Comment un nouveau Dieu Démon peut-il apparaitre si vite, sans que personne ne s'en aperçoive ? ; Qui peut sceller la Porte des Enfers et comment ? Comment revient-on des enfers ?
Il y a bien une Happy End (comme TMOPB) mais ce final est trop hâtif, presque bâclé.

=> Les producteurs ont pris la même recette, mais quelque part, ont raté la sauce. Cela demeure un très bon Xianxia, mais pas un Masterpiece.

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Don't give up after few episodes, it really gets better!

Extremely underrated xianxia drama, acting is top notch from both the leads and many other side characters and the plot even though resembling some other similar tv series, has many unique points that you shouldn't miss. First of all, villans, a part from one or two, aren't just the classic bad guys who kill and destruct just for the sake of the story, tyou really get to understand their reasons even while not agreeing with their methods, characters are so complex that it's difficult to split them into "good" or "bad" and in general there are close to none clearable-but-no-one-does-anything type of misunderstandings. The first 10 episodes however are the worst in my opinion but it definitely gets better right after and I found myself hooked for 20/30 episodes in a row.

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Worth the journey

I enjoyed watching this drama as much as I enjoyed watching Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, Ancient Love Poetry, and The Rise of Phoenixes. I watched this mostly for NiNi, after seeing her wonderful performance in The Rise of Phoenixes... and she did not disappoint!

Although the plot was simple, I felt that the story was done well. Each character had their own motivations that led to actions that were plausible and not over the top, outrageous. Because of this, I ended up liking many of the characters, not just the leads. I even liked the antagonists because I could understand what made them that way (in most dramas villains are just one dimensional - pure jealousy or revenge). For example, what drove Yuan Tong over the edge was anger over her mother's death, hurt pride because her older brother dishonored the family, envy over ML's affections for FL, and feeling a sense of injustice that her brother was killed because he had demon essence whilst FL was being protected despite her demon essence. It was these things that slowly built up over time that made it easier for her to justify her actions. That said, I did not root for her...quite the opposite (lol), but I did empathize with her and felt sorry for her.

What I liked:
- NiNi's performance was captivating and showed wide emotional range
- Main lead romance was developed well and engaging
- Enjoyed side romances (especially 2nd ML/FL)
- Plausible motivations and actions by the characters
- Xiao Bai/Wu Wan (OMG so cute!)

What I didn't like:
- Ending seemed a bit rush with some loose ends
- Some characters were introduced that didn't seem relevant nor needed (e.g., ML's disciple)
- They could have styled ML better

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Lacking complexity for a 60 episode show . . .

At the start, there is the typical powerful war god and the naive, powerless sprite/goddess. Except, this powerful war god looks and acts far far older than the naive powerless sprite. He is cold, authoritarian and acts more like mentor than love interest, and the powerless sprite stumbles earnestly along without a clue. 30 episodes later - this dynamic has not altered.

What's worse, the secondary plot in the 'demon' 'dark power' kingdom (they wear black/red costumes) is truly boring and the lead actor for that plot has very little charisma (he just walks around doing bad things or being in shock) .

This is a shame because the actors are quite good. Indeed, the actress who plays Ling Xi- I loved in the Rise of Phoenixes.

The music is fine, - I would not rewatch.

*Note the production values are top notch with lovely costuming and design, but the show isn't particularly cinematic and they rely a lot on sound stages/fixed sets.

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